John Terry: Chelsea legend 'agrees EFL club takeover' with announcement imminent | OneFootball

Former Blues and England captain reportedly part of consortium set to strike £14m deal

Chelsea legend John Terry is part of a group that is set to take over Colchester United, reports claim.

According to The Sun, a consortium involving Terry is poised to announce the £14million purchase of the League Two club, with the ex-England captain expected to have a "significant influence" on football matters at the JobServe Community Stadium.

A former Chelsea team-mate of Terry’s, ex-Brazil striker Alexandre Pato, had previously been part of an investment group to hold talks over buying Colchester before withdrawing in February.

Colchester were initially put up for sale by current owner Robbie Cowling last year, with a deal with the US-based Lightwell Sports Group having fallen through in June 2025 before the process was re-opened.

Cowling has owned the club since 2006, when he took over the reins from former chairman Peter Heard.

Colchester, coached by Danny Cowley, currently sit 13th in League Two with four games left to play this season following Friday’s 3-0 home win over promotion-chasing Swindon, 14 points adrift of the top six and 27 clear of the relegation zone.

This is their 10th consecutive campaign in the fourth tier of English football, having previously spent a number of years in League One and also had two seasons in the Championship between 2006-08.

22-year-old defender Frankie Terry - John Terry’s nephew - is on Colchester’s books, but is currently on a season-long loan at National League club Braintree Town.

John Terry made 717 appearances and lifted 18 major trophies with Chelsea, whom he captained for 13 years, between 1998-2017 and also played for one season at Aston Villa before retiring and moving into coaching in 2018.

He appeared 78 times for England, skippering his country across two separate stints before retiring from international football in 2012.

Terry was previously assistant to former manager Dean Smith at Aston Villa and has spent time back at Chelsea as both an academy coach and a coaching consultant, as well as a short stint on Smith’s backroom staff at Leicester.

He has most recently managed in the Baller League UK with the 26ers in addition to a part-time mentoring role in Chelsea’s academy.