Former England and Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips has said that John Terry is ready to step into the Bristol City job.
Following the departure of long-standing boss Lee Johnson after the 1-0 loss to Cardiff City, the Robins continue their search for a new man to take the reigns at Ashton Gate.
While Chris Hughton, Steven Gerrard and Ryan Lowe are among the favourites to take over from Johnson, John Terry remains an outsider with the bookies giving him odds of 14/1 to land the job.
Terry is currently assistant to Dean Smith at Aston Villa and is yet to take on his first managerial role, but Kevin Phillips has said he thinks it is the right time for the Chelsea manager to step into management.
Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips said: “It is clear that he wants to become a manager.
“He has seen his mates do it and his best mate in Frank Lampard do it and be a success. John has been a coach now a couple of years so he would have learned a lot.
“It is of no surprise to me that he is being linked with it. After two years as a coach, from my own experience, I was ready to take that next step."
"It would be another great advert for giving new manager’s a chance if Bristol City are to appoint John."
The former defender finished his career at Villa Park before taking on the role as assistant to Smith, however the current Villa boss has dismissed Terry's links to the vacancy.
He said: "I have spoken to John and he is fully committed to our cause here at Aston Villa.
"They've got Dean Holden, a former coach of mine, in charge at the moment. He is working hard for his club and JT is certainly working very hard for me.
"We've got a very good relationship and we enjoy working together."
It is clear that Smith wants to keep hold of Terry, but should Villa get relegated the ex-England man may see a switch to Ashton Gate as the perfect way to progress in his his career.
The City hierarchy have fielded calls and applications from dozens of interested parties since Johnson left and will soon be conducting interviews to pick out his successor.
The likes of Hughton and former Bayer Leverkusen boss Christoph Daum are interested in taking the role, highlighting the competition Terry faces if he decides to put his name into the hat.
