Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has confirmed that the club have not received any approaches from teams to talk to assistant coach John Terry.

The Chelsea legend has been linked with the Celtic job over the past week, as well as the vacant managerial post at Bournemouth and, even though no club has asked for permission to talk with him, Smith says Terry has ambitions to be a number one:

“For somebody to leave a football club and go to another one then you need them to contact us, and we haven’t been contacted so… I haven’t really spoken to JT about it, to be honest. The conversations I have had with JT is that when it suits everybody (he can leave).”

“I’ve always said right from the outset that John Terry came here to learn about coaching, and he’s become a very, very good assistant manager to myself. But ultimately, he’s come in to learn the trade to ultimately become a number one.”

Whether Terry is in the frame to replace Neil Lennon at Parkhead, it remains to be seen. Speculation about the 40-year-old’s potential move into management has been building for some time and he may see a switch to the Hoops as an excellent opportunity he cannot refuse.

However, it isn’t known whether the Scottish champions are actively looking for a new head coach at the moment. With chief executive Peter Lawwell leaving at the end of the season, and Dominic McKay set to take his place, any decisions may well be delayed until the summer.