LONDON: Norwich City are set to appoint former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith (pix) as their new head coach to succeed Daniel Farke, who was dismissed by the Premier League club last weekend, the BBC reported on Saturday.
Smith was also sacked last weekend, following Villa's run of five straight defeats. They have since appointed former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard.
Former Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has reportedly withdrawn from the running for the Norwich job, leaving Smith as the favourite to take over.
Smith joined Villa in 2018 after a spell in charge of Brentford where he developed a reputation for playing exciting, attacking football.
He guided Villa back to the top flight via the playoffs in his first campaign with a club record 10-match winning run at the end of the season.
The boyhood Villa fan then helped his team retain their top-flight status the following season after a relegation battle and came close to silverware when he guided them to the League Cup final in 2020, losing 2-1 to Manchester City.
After a solid opening to this season including a win at Manchester United, Villa have slipped and are in 16th place in the table with 10 points from 11 matches.
Norwich sacked Farke last Saturday, just after they picked up their first league win of the season at Brentford.
Farke, who spent 4-1/2 years at Carrow Road, twice oversaw promotions to the top flight but like the last time they were in the top flight, Norwich have struggled.
The Norfolk team are bottom of the table, below Newcastle United on goal difference, with five points from 11 games. Their next league game is at home to Southampton on Nov 20. – Reuters
