Aston Villa insist John Terry will STAY despite Craig Shakespeare’s appointment as new assistant coach
ASTON VILLA insist John Terry is not leaving the club after Craig Shakespeare was appointed as new assistant head coach.
Former Leicester City boss Shakespeare will work alongside Dean Smith next season.
But Chelsea legend Terry remains at Villa Park despite being linked to a host of manager’s jobs.
Terry joined Villa as a player three years ago before staying on as a coach.
But Villa say Shakespeare’s arrival does not mean Terry’s exit.
Shakespeare, 56, has been appointed to strengthen Villa’s backroom team and add experience.
He was No2 to both Nigel Pearson and Claudio Ranieri at Leicester.
And he was part of Ranieri’s team when the Foxes clinched a shock title win in 2016 – before taking over as manager from from the Italian.
Shakespeare was also briefly assistant manager to Sam Allardyce with the senior England men’s team.
But he lost his job at Watford last month when Pearson was axed by the Hornets.
Smith wants to bolster his squad on and off the field after narrowly avoiding relegation – and knows Shakespeare from his playing days.
The Villa boss said: “I was keen to add some additional Premier League know-how to my coaching team and Craig certainly has that in abundance.
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“He’s a vastly experienced coach who will add another dimension to our team.
“I’ve known Craig for many years since our Walsall playing days and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
Terry recently put the stress of Villa’s relegation battle behind him, by holidaying in Portugal with wife Toni.