Aston Villa's new head coach, Dean Smith, has expressed his elation that John Terry decided to work under him as his first job in professional management.
Having reached the Championship play-off final against Fulham last season, Steve Bruce's Villa started this campaign in disappointing fashion. After 12 games, the Villans sit in 15th position with just three wins to their name.
In Aston Villa's last game before the international break, they allowed Preston, who sat at the bottom of the Championship table at the time, to come back from 3-1 down to secure a 3-3 draw. This was the final straw for the Villa hierarchy, and Bruce was sacked a day later.
The Midlands team chose Brentford's Dean Smith to replace Bruce, and announced that Chelsea
On the prospect of working with Terry, the BBC reports that Smith said: "
"
Aston Villa's
JT on returning to the club as Assistant Coach
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) October 11, 2018
https://t.co/gNj5QrAyIC#PartOfThePride #AVFC pic.twitter.com/GdAiJLNLdI
"I want people who are there to challenge me, who want to get better and improve."
On the opportunity to work with a club with as much history as Aston Villa, Smith buzzed: "
"The next best thing, you become a coach - what better than to be the head coach of the football team you supported?"
Villa's chief executive, Christian Purslow, believes that the combination of Terry and Smith will prove to be 'an excellent fit' for the club.
The chief executive chipped in:
"John has familiarised himself with all aspects of the club, beyond simply the normal duties that a professional footballer would focus on."
Purslow also expressed his confidence that Terry's vastly decorated playing career will help him learn from Dean Smith.
RT if you can't wait to see this sort of passion in the dugout at VP #PartOfThePride #AVFC pic.twitter.com/FwDDUT7hcK
— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) October 11, 2018
He explained: "I think it's tremendous that a former great footballer has taken a decision now to dedicate himself to trying to become a leading coach, and this is the first step on that long journey.
"To have somebody with his background as a player make those first steps in our great club, learning from a hugely experienced coach like Dean, felt to us like an excellent fit."
Smith's first game as Aston Villa manager will be a home fixture against Swansea City
Source: 90min