November 15, (THEWILL) – Dean Smith has been given a two-and-a-half-year contract as Norwich City’s head coach.
Norwich have been hunting for a replacement for Daniel Farke, who was fired just hours after the Canaries won their first game of the season, a 2-1 triumph against Brentford on November 6.
Smith said: “It has been a whirlwind seven days, but I’m really pleased to be back and working for Norwich City in the Premier League.
“Clearly, there has been some wonderful work that has gone into this football club over the last four-and-a-half years. It is now the job of myself and Craig [Shakespeare] to continue and improve on that work with the ultimate aim of surviving in the Premier League.”
The 50-year-old was said to be in a two-horse race for the job alongside former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard, but the latter withdrew after talks with the club.
Smith took over as Aston Villa manager in October 2018 and guided the club to Premier League promotion in his first season. Since then, Villa has remained in the Premier League, and he led the Midlands club to the League Cup final in 2020.
One of his most memorable achievements was leading Villa Park to a 7-2 victory over Liverpool in the 2020/21 season. Villa finished 11th last season.
Smith, on the other hand, was fired by Villa last week after a run of five straight Premier League losses, including home losses to Wolverhampton Wanderers and West Ham United, but he has already found a new job in England’s top flight.
Yet, at Carrow Road, he has a difficult challenge.
Norwich City are now bottom of the Premier League standings with five points after 11 games, and their job will be to keep the club in the Premier League.
“We are delighted to have appointed Dean as our new head coach. I have admired his work for some time and he has been a long-term target in the event that we needed to appoint a new head coach.
“Dean has an outstanding track record and as soon as he made it clear that he was ready to go straight back into a managerial role we contacted him immediately.
“He shares the same values and vision as the club, has a proven track record of winning games in the Premier League as well as developing players and building a winning culture and mentality.”
Craig Shakespeare has been named as the team’s assistant coach.
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.
