Smith has been appointed as Steve Bruce’s replacement at Villa Park.
Linked with name after name, Aston Villa finally appointed Dean Smith as Steve Bruce’s replacement and at a reported cost of £300,000 to lure him from Brentford, he could prove value for money.
The Telegraph reported that the 47-year-old has cost Villa a nominal £300,000 in compensation to take him from Griffin Park to Villa Park. Smith is indeed a boyhood Villa fan and has family in the area, after managing Walsall.
Fans seem to be content with the appointment despite big names such as Thierry Henry and Paulo Fonseca being linked with the vacant role, as the owners look for Villa to get their season back on track.
Smith has certainly shown he is one of the best managers in the Championship following his three-year spell at Brentford, where he delivered three top-10 finishes on a shoe-string budget.
But another area which Villa could gain an advantage over the appointment of Smith is in terms of finances, as the six-figure sum they have had to spend on Smith is far cheaper than another strong candidate – Brendan Rodgers.
The Celtic manager was constantly linked with the job as question marks continue to arise over his future in Scotland. Following two trebles, many are asking what is there left to do?
He was considered by Villa, according to reports, but The Sun claim that the former Liverpool and Swansea City manager would have cost a hefty £2.5million sum.
Rodgers has promotion experience with Swansea, gaining a place in the Premier League via the play-off final in 2010-11, but he has not managed in England’s second tier since.
For more than £2million cheaper than Rodgers, Villa have got themselves a man who can get the best out of players, knows the Championship inside out and can work on a limited budget – something that will help financial fairplay.
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