Former Aston Villa and Norwich boss Dean Smith set to be appointed Leicester City manager until the end of the season – with his former Villa Park coach John Terry poised to join him as an assistant as they look to avoid relegation
- Dean Smith is close to being appointed as the next Leicester City boss
- The former Aston Villa and Norwich coach is in advanced talks over joining
- If Smith does take over, he may add ex-England captain John Terry as a coach
Dean Smith is expected to take over at Leicester City until the end of the season.
The former Aston Villa boss has been holding discussions with the Foxes to replace Brendan Rodgers on a short-term basis.
If Smith does join, he may lookj to add 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 a manager the following year when they reached the Champions League quarter-finals.
More pertinently, he was also involved when Leicester staged the ‘great escape’ from relegation in 2015 under Nigel Pearson.
Dean Smith is expected to take over as Leicester City manager until the end of the season
If Smith joins, he could look to add the former England captain John Terry (right) as a coach
Leicester are currently in the Premier League’s relegation zone after a torrid run of form
Smith was sacked by Norwich earlier this season but in 2019-20 guided Villa to survival when they were seven points adrift with four games left.
Leicester are two points off safety but their next game is at Manchester City and they have taken only one point from a possible 24.
Brendan Rodgers was dismissed on April 2 after four years in charge, and caretakers Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell oversaw the defeats to Villa and Bournemouth.
Smith would also oversee a trio of season-defining clashes against fellow relegation-threatened sides Wolves, Leeds, and Everton, who have all made managerial changes in an attempt to save them from relegation as well.
Rodgers’ previous assistants Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell have remained in caretaker charge and overseen the defeats by Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
But there is no news on whether they would stay as part of Smith’s backroom set-up.
Graham Potter remains the club’s preferred choice to succeed Brendan Rodgers long-term.
However, the former Chelsea boss is highly unlikely to 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 into the club
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