Dean Smith has been appointed as the new manager of Leicester City on a short-term deal until the end of the current season.
The Englishman, formerly in charge of Aston Villa and Norwich City, will be an interim successor to Brendan Rodgers, tasked with steering the club to Premier League survival with just eight games remaining.
Smith will be joined by his former Villa assistant John Terry and fellow ex-Canaries coach Craig Shakespeare.
The trio will work to ensure the Foxes stay in the top-flight of English football. Leicester parted ways with Rodgers, their second-longest serving manager in the Premier League era after he failed to turn around the club’s fortunes.
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Smith expressed his delight at being given the opportunity to lead Leicester City. He acknowledged the challenge ahead of him and his coaching team but expressed his confidence in the quality of the squad and the number of games remaining.
“I’m really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season,” Smith told the club’s website.
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“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.”
Rodgers led the club to FA Cup and Community Shield success, as well as consecutive European finishes, in his time as manager. Meanwhile, Smith was sacked from his role as Norwich’s manager last December after a disappointing start to their first season back in the Championship.
Leicester’s next game is against Manchester City before they host Wolves in what is likely to be a crucial game for their survival a week later.
The Foxes are currently one place from the bottom in the Premier League, with just five points separating them from West Ham in 14th place in a tightly-packed bottom half of the table.
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