Leicester City have appointed Dean Smith as interim manager until end of 2022-23 season.
Smith’s appointment comes amidst a nine-match winless run in all competitions for Leicester, during which they exited the FA Cup in the Fifth Round to Blackburn and slumped into the relegation zone in 19th position in the Premier League, albeit two points from safety.
The Foxes’ form consequently saw Brendan Rogers sacked after their defeat at Crystal Palace earlier this month, with Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell having since been in caretaker charge during which they oversaw home defeats against Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
Jesse Marsch initially looked set to become permanent manager but negotiations ultimately collapsed, which led Leicester’s board to swoop for Smith, who had previously managed Villa and Norwich City in the top-flight.
Smith had guided Villa to the top-flight in summer 2019 and kept them up for two seasons prior to his sacking in November 2021, only to be snapped up by Norwich barely a week later but he couldn’t keep them up and was eventually fired in late December 2022.
Speaking about his appointment on a short-term contract until end of season, Smith commented: “I’m really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season.
“The challenge in front of us is clear, but it’s one myself and my coaching team have experienced before and, with the quality in this squad and the number of games remaining, it’s very much achievable.”
Smith though iterated that his first task “is to rebuild confidence and instil belief in the team” for the remainder of this season’s run-in.
Smith’s first match in charge sees the Foxes head to Manchester City on Saturday 15 April which he has described as “a big test,” as he urged players to “connect” with the trickery of the challenge awaiting them and try to deliver “a performance” that travelling away fans “can be proud of.”
Leicester Chairman, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha added that Smith’s “leadership, coaching and motivational qualities will be vital assets for us in the coming eight games as we fight to secure our Premier League status.”
Ex Leicester manager, Craig Shakespeare will meanwhile return to the club as part of Smith’s coaching team, with Shakespeare having previously managed the Foxes between February – October 2017 after Claudio Ranieri was sacked.
Leave a Reply