Leicester appoint Smith as manager on short-term deal until end of season - The Guardian

Leicester City have appointed the former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith as Brendan Rodgers’ successor until the end of the season.

The club had pinpointed the former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch as their favoured option to take charge but talks broke down over the weekend. Talks were also been held with Rafael Benítez, who is also out of work, but Smith is the man to take the reins.

“I’m really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season,” Smith said. “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 and his assistant, Craig Shakespeare left Norwich City in December after struggling to mount a challenge for automatic promotion. John Terry, who worked with Smith at Villa, will also join the backroom staff.

After reluctantly sacking Brendan Rodgers, Leicester sounded out various candidates including Benítez, though had hoped the caretaker pairing of Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell could prove sufficient until the end of the season.

Shakespeare, who was sacked four months into his reign as Leicester manager in 2017, is well respected within the club’s hierarchy. He worked as an assistant to Nigel Pearson and Claudio Ranieri, who led the club to the Premier League title against all odds in 2016.

Leicester, who are second bottom after three successive defeats, have lost eight of their past nine matches in all competitions and visit the champions, Manchester City, on Saturday. Smith will be in charge for Leicester’s trip to the Etihad Stadium.

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