Lampard happy to welcome Terry back to Chelsea

On Wednesday night, John Terry will be in the thick of things at Stamford Bridge again but, for the first time in the Premier League, he won’t be in Chelsea colours.

 Terry is now Aston Villa’s assistant manager, supporting Dean Smith, and in what be an unusual feeling for our former skipper, he will be trying to help mastermind an away victory in SW6.

 It will be JT’s first return to the Bridge in an official capacity since leaving Chelsea in the summer of 2017, and looking across to the home dugout will only add to his sense of nostalgia.

His good friends and former team-mates Frank Lampard and Jody Morris will be there, along with plenty of other members of staff he knows so well from his two decades at Chelsea.

But how will it feel for Lampard, coming up against the man he shared so many incredible experiences with during their playing days?.

 ‘Not much difference for me,’ our boss said at his press conference today. ‘I went up against him twice last year. We obviously get on very well and I have huge respect for him, and the work he and Dean Smith have done together at Aston Villa.

‘It’s more about John and the reception he will quite rightly get from the Chelsea fans. He was the most decorated captain, the greatest captain, won everything, feels the club, everybody knows that.

 ‘The fans will certainly show their appreciation and I’m sure it’ll be pretty emotional for John. He deserves that moment and I will certainly be pleased to see his face back at the Bridge.

‘We’re in touch but not in the last few days,’ added Lampard.

 ‘I spoke to him last week and we had a couple of conversations. We are pretty regularly in conversation, but we are obviously both focused on our jobs. He’s working hard there to get results, as are we here. It will be nice to catch up.’