Dean Smith is set to be appointed as Charlotte FC’s new coach within 24 hours after Frank Lampard was also linked with the MLS post

Dean Smith is expected to be appointed as Charlotte FC's next coach within 24 hours.

The 52-year-old former Aston Villa boss flew in from New York City where he was on holiday with family.

Smith, who has also coached Leicester City and Norwich City in recent seasons, impressed throughout the interview process.

Charlotte also spoke to high-profile candidates such as Frank Lampard.

The Eastern Conference franchise, based in North Carolina, is owned by billionaire David Tepper who fired coach Christian Lattanzio and his assistant Andy Quy in November despite making the playoffs.

Smith was last at Leicester but failed to keep the team in the Premier League after taking over in April with just eight games to play.

He coached Aston Villa for three years and led the team from the Championship back to the Premier League.

Lampard, meanwhile, has been out of work as a coach since his second spell at Chelsea, where he returned on an interim basis after the Premier League club sacked Graham Potter.

Before that, Lampard had just completed a year at Everton, helping to keep the team in the Premier League in his first half of the season, but he was sacked days before completing his first year with the team.

Frank Lampard, who was last in charge of Chelsea, is said to be in the running to take over

As a player, Lampard won every possible trophy at club level with Chelsea and finished his career in the MLS with New York City FC.

Charlotte are preparing for their third ever season in Major League Soccer in 2024 and look to build on reaching the play-offs in 2023.

They finished ninth in the Eastern Conference and defeated Lionel Messi and Inter Miami 1–0 on the last day of the regular season to advance to the play-offs.