John Terry slams Chelsea for overlooking him as interim manager after Rosenior sacking

John Terry has publicly criticised Chelsea’s decision to overlook him for the interim manager role following Liam Rosenior’s dismissal, insisting he was the most qualified candidate at the club for the short-term appointment.

The Blues sacked Rosenior after just three and a half months in charge and turned instead to under-18s coach Calum McFarlane — for the second time this season. McFarlane had previously taken charge for two fixtures following Enzo Maresca’s departure before Rosenior was brought in on a permanent basis. He went on to oversee six matches towards the end of the campaign, including an FA Cup final.

Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Terry responded to Morgan’s suggestion that being passed over was “borderline offensive.” “Now Piers, you’re 100% spot on,” Terry said. “I’ve never thought that I could be Chelsea manager. But when a manager leaves the football club and Chelsea are looking for an interim manager, there was no one in the building, the academy building or the first team building, that was more qualified than me in terms of their qualifications.”

Terry was equally pointed about what he felt he represented to the fanbase. “Whether it was for one game or two games, there was no one more Chelsea than me. And again, touching on the supporters, giving the supporters what they wanted at that time.”

The former captain was careful to draw a distinction between the interim role and a permanent appointment, ruling himself out of the latter for now. “Did I think that I deserve the Chelsea manager job long-term? Absolutely not. Because Chelsea is way bigger than me. If I want to go into that, I need to go on my journey to then get the Chelsea job.”

Terry’s coaching career has been limited so far, comprising an assistant role at Aston Villa and part-time mentoring within Chelsea’s academy. He has previously spoken about a lack of opportunities to develop his managerial credentials.

The immediate question of Chelsea’s leadership has since been resolved, with Xabi Alonso appointed on a four-year contract as head coach in mid-May. Alonso now faces a busy summer of transfer decisions, with Enzo Fernandez’s future uncertain and Trevoh Chalobah among those linked with a departure, as Serie A side Como weigh up a move ahead of their Champions League campaign.