John Terry could be the latest to join the recent trend of Europe’s elite leaving for the riches of Saudi Arabia. At least that’s what all the big media outlets have been claiming.
Steven Gerrard broke a new barrier when he became the first big English manager to move to Saudi Arabia. The Liverpool legend had joined Al Ettifaq as the coach. It was rumored that he would soon be rejoined by fellow Englishman John Terry. But now the former Chelsea man has debunked all the rumors himself.
John Terry debunks Steven Gerrard reunion rumor in Saudi
John Terry has denied rumors of a Saudi move to Al Shabab. It was reported that the Saudi Pro League side was in advanced talks with the club to join as manager on a two-year deal.
But the former English defender has instead spoken the opposite. In an interview with Simon Philips, he said, “There’s been talks but the press are miles off. I’m not going to be the manager over there. It’s for a different role and I’ll be based in the UK. It’s very early doors.”
John Terry on Saudi links: “There’s been talks but the press are miles off. I’m not going to be manager over there. It’s for a different role and I’ll be based in the UK. It’s very early doors.”
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) September 8, 2023
So according to Terry, he will have a role at the Saudi club, though not as the head coach, and he certainly won’t be moving there as well. The ‘role’ was not specified, but it is important to note that Terry has experience at the academy level, having worked with Chelsea in that department over the past year. He had also been the assistant manager at Aston Villa and Leicester City previously.
John Terry backs Chelsea’s lavish spending under Todd Boehly
Terry was later asked about the current situation of Chelsea under the new ownership of Todd Boehly. Under the American owners, Chelsea has spent over 1 billion euros in just three transfer windows to reinforce the squad. But the results have been somewhat underwhelming. Having gone through some managerial changes, the team has still not been able to turn things around on the pitch.
But Terry is optimistic and believes that Boehly has the right intentions and can bring Chelsea back to their level.
John Terry: “I’ve come across Todd Boehly 5 or 6 times. They are trying all they can. They have all the right intentions. Frank was dealing with it closely and they are trying to do the right things long term. All we can do is trust them. I believe we will be back.”
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) September 8, 2023
“I’ve come across Todd Boehly 5 or 6 times. They are trying all they can. They have all the right intentions. Frank was dealing with it closely and they are trying to do the right things long term. All we can do is trust them. I believe we will be back.”
Chelsea is currently 12th in the league standings after having a poor start to the season. Manager Mauricio Pochettino will have to hope for a win against Bournemouth in their clash on Sunday, to turn things around.
