John Terry development emerges in fresh Oxford United manager search twist | OneFootball

It has been reported that John Terry is contention for the job at Championship strugglers Oxford United.

Oxford United are heading into the second-half of the 2025/26 Championship campaign looking for a new manager and Chelsea legend John Terry is reportedly in the running for the post at the Kassam Stadium.

Following their promotion via the League One play-offs in the 2023/24 season, Oxford made a managerial switch in December last year, replacing Des Buckingham with experienced second-tier boss Gary Rowett.

With a functional style of football, the former Birmingham City and Millwall manager managed to lead the U’s away from the bottom three and the relegation places, which was and would remain a successful campaign for the club.

This time around, a failure to evolve the style of football and results stagnating to a point where Oxford appeared to be inevitably going backwards towards League One again, United took the reasonably surprising decision to part company with Rowett last week.

Former Everton and Blackburn Rovers centre-back Craig Short has taken charge of the side on an interim basis for a third time but there is a relatively surprise big name candidate in Terry, who is in contention for the role on a permanent basis.

Oxford United are reportedly considering the appointment of John Terry

According to a report in The Sun, John Terry is ‘one of the names in the frame’ being considered to become the next manager of Oxford United.

The article goes on to say that former Queens Park Rangers and Sunderland boss Mick Beale is one of the other leading candidates for the Championship vacancy.

It is suggested that Oxford’s owners have had Terry on their radar for a while now after he interviewed for the position back in the late autumn of 2023 when Buckingham was appointed, following the departure of Liam Manning to Bristol City.

Terry, who was assistant coach at Aston Villa for three seasons between 2018 and 2021, has since been a part of Smith’s coaching staff at Leicester City, as well as Chelsea’s academy coach.

He has been the manager of ‘26ers’ in the six-a-side tournament ‘Baller League’ but is believed to remain keen on breaking into professional management in his own right.

Oxford United have already experienced post-Gary Rowett bounce amid John Terry talk

Gary Rowett is a good manager with a lot of Championship experience and he is certainly someone that clubs should, and will, look at to continue to raise the floor.

The ceiling can often be a bit low, though, and the style of football isn’t the easiest to watch for supporters week in week out and, while a slightly surprising decision, his departure wasn’t a seismic moment for the U’s.

In fact, just a few days after he left the Kassam, Oxford produced one of the results of the season in the Championship as they defeated Southampton by two goals to one.

Tyler Goodrham, a player who had fallen out of favour under Rowett, gave Oxford a 23rd minute lead before Taylor Harwood-Bellis soon equalised for Saints. However, Stan Mills produced an 89th minute winner to give Oxford a desperately needed three points.

That result has just about lifted them outside of the bottom three and the relegation places after Boxing Day, ending what was a four-match winless run of form.

Oxford’s ambition will certainly still be to simply remain in the second-tier but the appointment of Terry represents a shift in their decision-making process in a year, moving away from the reliability of Rowett to the gamble of Terry, while remaining in a similar spot in the second division.