Transfer Site

Shock as Aston Villa to ditch Dean Smith and appoint freshly-fired manager

  • Jul 26, 22:49

This is a story to watch out for in the next hours or so, with a report in Sky Sports Transfer Centre stating that Dean Smith, despite leading Aston Villa to safety is set to get sacked, with the club favouring a Portuguese manager instead.

According to the source, O Jogo, in Portugal, former Benfica manager Bruno Lage is ‘close’ to becoming Aston Villa boss – the 44-year-old was sacked last month by the Portuguese giants.

Smith kept Aston Villa up on the final day of the Premier League season, with emotional scenes from the lifetime fan of the club after the full-time whistle.

The somewhat shocking revelation that the club are set to switch managerial direction in such quick fashion will divide the fans. While they might have been frustrated at the season, they will worry about sacking a man who knows the club inside out, for Bruno Lage who has absolutely no affiliation to the makeup of what makes Villa.

Lage has won the Portuguese Primeira Liga with Benfica in 2019, also winning Best Coach in the same season.

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