LONDON – Norwich City has appointed former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith as head coach in place of Daniel Farke, the English Premier League club said on Monday.
Norwich sacked Farke this month when Smith was also fired by Villa following a run of five straight league defeats. Villa has since appointed former Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard.
Smith joined Villa in 2018 following 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 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.
“It has been a whirlwind seven days, but I’m really pleased to be back and working for Norwich City in the Premier League,” Smith, who has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract, said in a statement according to Reuters.
“Clearly, there has been some wonderful work that has gone into this football club over last four-and-a-half years.
“It is now the job of myself and (assistant coach) Craig (Shakespeare) to continue and improve on that work with the ultimate aim of surviving in the Premier League.”
Former boss Farke, who spent four-and-a-half years at Carrow Road, twice oversaw promotions to the top flight but Norwich has struggled again in the Premier League.
They are bottom of the table, below Newcastle United on goal difference, with five points from 11 games.
Smith’s first match in charge will be at home to Southampton on Saturday.
