Former Aston Villa and Norwich boss Dean Smith is appointed manager of Leicester City until the end of the season – with his former Villa Park coach John Terry ready to join him as an assistant to avoid relegation
- Dean Smith is about to be appointed as the new Leicester City boss
- The former Aston Villa and Norwich coach is in advanced talks about joining
- If Smith takes over, he could add ex-England captain John Terry as a coach
Dean Smith is expected to take charge at Leicester City until the end of the season.
The former Aston Villa boss has held talks with the Foxes to replace Brendan Rodgers on short notice.
If Smith joins, he may consider adding former England captain John Terry to his staff, after the pair worked together at Aston Villa, and is likely to bring Craig Shakespeare with him.
Shakespeare was a key member of Claudio Ranieri’s coaching staff when Leicester won the title in 2016, and was manager the following year as they reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
More relevantly, he was also involved when Leicester staged the ‘great escape’ from relegation in 2015 under the management of Nigel Pearson.
Dean Smith is expected to take over as manager of Leicester City until the end of the season
If Smith joins he could look to add former England captain John Terry (right) as a coach
Leicester are currently in the Premier League relegation zone after a torrid run of form
Smith was sacked by Norwich earlier in the season, but in 2019-20 Villa led to survival as they trailed by seven points with four games remaining.
Leicester are two points behind safety but their next game is at Manchester City and they’ve only taken one point from a possible 24.
Brendan Rodgers was sacked on 2 April after four years in charge, with caretakers Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell overseeing defeats to Villa and Bournemouth.
Smith would also oversee a trio of season-defining clashes against fellow relegation-threatened sides Wolves, Leeds and Everton, all of whom have made management changes in an attempt to save them from relegation too.
Rodgers’ former assistants Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell have remained the caretakers, overseeing defeats to Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
But there’s no news on whether they’d stay as part of Smith’s back room.
Graham Potter remains the club’s preferred choice to succeed Brendan Rodgers on a long-term basis.
However, it is very unlikely that the former Chelsea boss will return to work this season.
Smith has been out of management since December when he was sacked by Norwich
Former title-winning assistant Craig Shakespeare (left) could also be brought to the club