Dean Smith ‘is officially offered the Norwich City head coach job’ just SIX days following his Aston Villa exit – with boss earmarked as sacked Daniel Farke’s replacement after impressing Carrow Road chiefs
Dean Smith has officially been offered the manager’s job at struggling Norwich City, reports claim, with the former Aston Villa boss expected to take over imminently.
Norwich sacked Daniel Farke last weekend with the basement club already five points adrift of safety, although the decision was announced just hours after they picked up their first win of the season at Brentford.
And it appears that Smith, 50, is set for a return to management just six days after departing Villa Park – with his arrival to be announced in the next 48 hours, The Athletic have this morning reported.
Dean Smith has been offered the Norwich head coach job after his Aston Villa exit, reports say
The same outlet goes on to add that Craig Shakespeare, the former Leicester head coach, is expected to follow Smith as his No 2 after assisting him at Villa.
Sportsmail reported that Frank Lampard dropped out of the running for the vacancy yesterday, a move which paved the way for Smith to become the leading contender.
Lampard, the ex-Chelsea manager, held talks with Norwich about succeeding Farke, but is no longer a candidate after pulling his name out of consideration.
Daniel Farke was dismissed last weekend with the club five points adrift of top-flight safety
Smith, who helped lead Villa into the Premier League and build them towards a push for Europe, will now set his sights on helping his new club avoid another relegation.
The Athletic add that Norwich were keen to keep their search for a new manager away from the public eye – but Smith, during his interviews, is believed to have impressed club chiefs with his knowledge of their struggles.
He departed Villa after the club lost five top-flight matches in a row and fell into 15th place in the table – and Steven Gerrard has replaced him.
Norwich will resume their dogfight in the lower reaches of the standings after the international break when they take on Southampton.
More to follow.