November 13, (THEWILL) – Dean Smith, who was sacked by Aston Villa less than a week ago, will be named as Norwich City’s new manager soon, according to reports.
Following a disappointing start to the season, the 50-year-old was sent packing at Villa Park, and Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has now taken his place. Smith, though, is due to take over at Norwich and will not be out of the game for long.
Just hours after Norwich won their first Premier League game of the season at Brentford on Saturday, the Canaries parted ways with the extremely popular Daniel Farke.
In his four years as manager at Carrow Road, the German earned two promotions to the Premier League, both as Championship winners. Farke had previously only coached Borussia Dortmund’s reserve team and this was his first job in charge of a senior team.
After the interview process, Smith emerged as the clear favourite for the post following Farke’s resignation. Frank Lampard was also praised by sporting director Stuart Webber, but the former Chelsea manager was unsure about heading to Norwich, therefore Smith became the favourite for the job.
Smith, who has been on holiday in New York since being fired by Villa, faces a major task in trying to turn Norwich’s season around. They have only five points from their first 11 Premier League games and are already five points away from safety.
Following the international break, his first game in charge will be against Southampton at home on November 20 before Wolves travel to Norfolk a week later.
Smith’s first encounter with previous club Villa is also only a few weeks away, with Gerrard’s side visiting Carrow Road on December 14.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
