John Terry and Colchester - what both parties have to gain from takeover
He left his position as assistant to Dean Smith at Aston Villa in 2021 in order to focus on finding a job as a manager in his own right, but in recent years has worked away from the elite level, combining a role as a part-time mentor a few days per month at Chelsea's academy with two seasons coaching a team of influencers in the six-a-side Baller League. "It's really disheartening, actually," Terry said in an interview with BBC Sport last year. "I have interviewed for a few [managerial] jobs myself and not got them due to my lack of experience as a number one, but having captained Chelsea and my country, I'm not sure you can do much more in terms of leading teams and people.
"I am ready and willing. If someone needs to win football matches, I'm not sure you're going to get anyone better. " The apparent lack of interest in Terry as a manager is in stark contrast to some of his contemporaries from England's much-lauded 'golden generation'.
Michael Carrick, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have all managed in the Premier League, while Ashley Cole now coaches Serie B side Cesena and Wayne Rooney has been in charge of three different clubs in the Championship and one in MLS. Whether Terry would be willing to park his clear managerial ambitions and take more of a background role at Colchester, or use it as a self-appointed starting point for his career as a head coach, is unclear. But installing himself as manager in place of current head coach Danny Cowley and assistant/brother Nicky would be deeply unpopular with fans.
"It would be 100% be controversial - there would be a backlash", Worrall says. "What those two have done has been monumental. They have developed the team and generated so much interest in the club from the surrounding community.
"They make the place buzz. If you took those two away and ended up with just John Terry as the coach, that would be damaging to the supporter base. "He hasn't coached at this level, and it would be quite a culture shock.