Andy Townsend has backed John Terry to become Dean Smith's successor at Aston Villa.

What's been said?

In recent comments cited by talkSPORT, the former Aston Villa player stated his belief that Terry has all the makings of a Premier League manager, and that, if the 40-year-old were to be handed the job at Villa Park, he would have no complaints about the appointment.

Speaking about the former assistant manager's links with the post, Townsend said: "I think John has all the credentials to be a proper manager. If he did want to take the job, I would not have any complaints about that whatsoever.

"I would love to see John do it, but however, I don't think he needed to leave Aston Villa to become number one. If he genuinely felt like that, it might have been the natural progression over time anyway."

Nightmare appointment

While Terry's ability at the top level of the professional game is undeniable, with the former Chelsea captain winning five Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Europa League, five FA Cups and three League Cups during his time in West London, the 40-year-old's potential in top-flight management is rather more questionable.

Indeed, while it is true that the 40-year-old who Frank Lampard dubbed an "invaluable" coach does have some history of being in the dugout, holding the position as one of Dean Smith's assistant managers between 2018 and 2021, the fact that Terry has no experience whatsoever of being the sole manager of a football club is unavoidable.

And, considering Villa's rather precarious position in the Premier League table, with the club currently sitting just two points above the relegation zone in 16th, the risk of appointing an unproven manager such as Terry would appear to be far too big for Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens to take.

Indeed, there is quite a clear lesson to be learned from Chelsea's own appointment of Frank Lampard, with the Blues sacking the club legend just 18 months after his installation, as the club had slipped to midtable under the leadership of the 43-year-old.

However, upon Lampard's appointment at Stamford Bridge, the former England international at least had some experience in professional management, having led Derby County to the Championship play-offs in 2018/19.

So, considering the fact that Terry does not boast a similar level of experience, in addition to the fact that Villa could very quickly become involved in a relegation scrap this season, the appointment of Terry would very much look to be something of a nightmare for NSWE if it happened, as the 40-year-old could well be a risk that results in relegation for Aston Villa.

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