John Terry explains what Sunderland bosses told him after ‘disagreement’ cost him Black Cats job
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman have made their share of mistakes at Sunderland, but the hiring of Regis Le Bris is certainly not among them.
As Sunderland came from a goal behind to stun Sheffield United in Saturday’s dramatic play-off final – Tommy Watson became a Black Cats ‘legend’ as his 95th minute strike skipped daintily into the bottom corner – Regis Le Bris did what Mick Beale, Tony Mowbray, Chris Coleman and Simon Grayson could not.
He brought Premier League football back to the Stadium of Light.
But while far from a proverbial ‘sliding doors’ moment – Sunderland interviewed John Terry back in 2022, when mention of Le Bris’ name would have left blank expressions on Black Cats faces – one can only wonder where the Wearsiders would be right now if they had handed the reins to the Chelsea legend.
Sunderland held talks with former England and Chelsea captain Terry after sacking Lee Johnson three-and-a-half years ago. Louis-Dreyfus and Speakman would eventually settle on the far more experienced Alex Neil instead.
A decision which paved the way for Sunderland to escape their League One purgatory a few months later. The first domino to fall in their journey back to the big time.
Chelsea and England legend John Terry sheds light on Sunderland snub
This is not to say John Terry – still yet to take sole charge of a senior team despite spells as a coach with Chelsea, Leicester City and Aston Villa – could not have brought similar success to the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland, though, wanted a proven head coach. One with a track record for solidifying error-prone backlines.
And under Neil, the Black Cats would go unbeaten in their final 16 matches of the season – including in the play-offs – while conceding only eight goals along the way.
“When I left Villa [in 2021], I applied for a couple of jobs,” Terry recalls. “We are not talking about Premier League or Championship. It was lower than that. Actually, Sunderland was one of them.
“I had a really good meeting. I sat with the Sunderland guys, and you know when you’re sitting there going; ‘It’s going really well! This is the best one I’ve interviewed for’.”
Former Aston Villa assistant found Sunderland rejection ‘disheartening’
It became clear, however, that a Sunderland outfit reeling off a 6-0 battering by Bolton Wanderers had reservations about entrusting their promotion hopes with a man unproven in a first-team dugout.
“We kind of had a disagreement over playing [style] and stuff, and why they had sacked their manager. They were the worst side in Europe for giving away opportunities [during the end of the Lee Johnson reign],” Terry recalls.
“[Sunderland] came back going; ‘You don’t have experience’. That was the feedback I got from three interviews.
“I came away thinking; ‘I’ve captained Chelsea for 22 years, I’ve captained my country, I’ve worked with some top managers. I have got something to give. I’m not trying to be a Premier League manager overnight.
“I did my groundwork with Dean Smith at Aston Villa, I’ve got all my badges. I’m ready to go. And to hear that was a little bit disheartening, to be honest.”
Flash forward to May 2025, and while John Terry is back at his beloved Chelsea working with their academy, Regis Le Bris and Sunderland have Premier League football to look forward to after a decade in the doldrums.
First things first, though, Sunderland must keep the players who took them there.
Eliezer Mayenda is attracting interest from European giants, his reputation skyrocketing after that bullet of an equaliser at Wembley. Jobe Bellingham could follow in Jude’s Borussia Dortmund footsteps, meanwhile.
