Leicester City have confirmed the appointment of Dean Smith as interim manager until the end of the season.
Smith arrives at the King Power Stadium along with assistants Craig Shakespeare and John Terry, whom he worked with at Aston Villa, and is tasked with helping the club battle the relegation threat.
The Foxes are currently 19th in the table, two points from safety, and have been without a manager since they sacked Brendan Rodgers following a 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on 1 April.
“I’m very happy to have the chance to lead the team through these last few weeks of the season,” Smith told Leicester’s official website, after taking charge of a team that has taken just one point from the last 24 available.
“The challenge ahead is clear, but it is one that I and my coaching team have experienced before and with the quality of this team and the number of games remaining, it is very doable.
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dean Smith as the Club’s First Team Manager until the end of the 22/23 season ????
— Leicester City (@LCFC) April 10, 2023
“Our first job is to rebuild trust and instill confidence in the team and I am looking forward to starting working with the players this week. Saturday will be a big test, but it’s the kind of occasion that reminds us all of what it means to be a Premier League club, competing on the biggest stages against the best players in the world. I know we will have the support of our traveling fans. We have to connect with that and give them a performance they can be proud of. We go there positive, looking for points”.
First-team managers Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell oversaw two games as caretaker managers, resulting in defeats to Villa and Bournemouth, and both will remain with the club as part of Smith’s coaching staff.
Although Smith’s deal currently runs until the end of the season, 90min reported on Monday that an extension will be discussed in the summer should Leicester be impressed with the work of the former Norwich City boss and his coaching staff.
Smith’s first assignment is an unenviable trip to Manchester City on Saturday night, ahead of a run of three straight games against other relegation-battling teams: Wolves, Leeds United and Everton.
