Southampton reportedly have an interest in appointing Dean Smith as manager of the club, with the former Norwich City coach someone who has close ties to Saints sporting director Rasmus Ankersen.
According to journalist Dean Jones, the 51-year-old manager is an option for Southampton as the Premier League side look to appoint a successor to Nathan Jones, with Smith a realistic choice for the Saints given his relationship with Ankersen and his record in the Premier League.
Smith led Aston Villa to the Premier League in 2019 having joined from Brentford, where the Birmingham-born coach worked alongside Rasmus in a successful spell in west London, with the pair now in contention of reuniting in the English south coast.
Jones said on Southampton’s interest in Smith: “I have heard that the interest in Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard is genuine but it’s going to really depend on how they sell this job and how they explain why the club has imploded to end up in this mess, any incoming manager has to beware their own reputation is on the line.”
Whilst Smith might struggle to keep Southampton up in the Premier League, alongside most other managers in contention for the job, the former Villa boss could be ideal for the Saints if relegation to the Championship becomes a reality, with the Englishman well-experienced in the second-tier.
Indeed, with Southampton also likely to see many top names leave the club in the summer, Smith will have free-reign to build a squad in his image, which could see Southampton immediately return to the Premier League should the ex-Norwich boss originally fail to keep the south coast side up in the top-flight.
Southampton could be smart in appointing Smith as Jones’ successor
Many would agree that Jones was doomed to fail the second the Welsh coach was announced as manager of Southampton. However, when thinking about Smith in the position, these same concerns aren’t the first thing you’d think of if the former Villa man was to take over at St. Mary’s.
As we know, Smith has a good relationship with Ankersen as well as a strong knowledge of managing in the Premier League. And for Southampton, the former Norwich boss could be an ideal long-term solution regardless of what happens in the coming months.
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