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Dean Smith becomes the latest managerial casualty in the English Premier League this weekend after he was relieved of his duties at Aston Villa. The Villans have pulled the trigger on the English manager following a run of poor form with only ten points picked from a possible thirty-three in the league this season.
Aston Villa's wretched form started with a 2-1 loss away to Tottenham Hotspur on 3rd October before a 1-0 loss to Southampton on Friday made it five defeats in a row for the 50-year-old manager.
Villa announced Smith's sacking via the club's official website on Sunday afternoon. The press statement read: "Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that the Club have parted company with Head Coach Dean Smith.
"Dean was appointed Villa Head Coach just over three years ago in October 2018 and led the Club back to the Premier League via the play-offs in his first season in charge following a club-record ten-match winning sequence towards the end of that campaign.
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"The following season, he kept Villa in the top flight while also leading the team out at the Carabao Cup Final at Wembley, narrowly losing 2-1 to Manchester City.
"The process of replacing Dean will now begin and the Club will update supporters in due course."
The club's CEO, Christian Purslow, praised Smith's impact at the club since his appointment in 2018, with the highlight being the club's 2018 EFL Cup final appearance at Wembley against Manchester City. The CEO wished Dean Smith the best for the future.
Purslow said: "When Dean joined us in October 2018 our team was really struggling in The Championship. He immediately transformed the atmosphere and performances and achieved the ultimate success of leading Villa back to the Premier League within the same season - a rare feat.
“He then secured our place in the Premier League after a tough campaign and took us to a Cup Final at Wembley.
“However, after a good start to last season, this year we have not seen the continuous improvement in results, performances and league position which we have all been looking for. For this reason we have decided to make a change now to allow time for a new head coach to make an impact.
“The Board would like to sincerely thank Dean for his many excellent achievements, on and off the pitch, during this time. Everyone knows how much Aston Villa means to Dean and his family. He has represented the Club with distinction and dignity - universally liked and respected by everybody associated with Aston Villa – our staff, players and supporters alike. We wish him the very best.”
The club has not appointed anyone to replace Smith as of yet.