Leicester close to appointing Dean Smith as interim manager
Leicester City are close to appointing former Brentford, Aston Villa and Norwich manager Dean Smith on an interim deal until the end of the season.
The Foxes ended the tenure of Brendan Rodgers after the last-gasp 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace on April 1, but have fared no better under caretakers Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell in their following two Premier League outings - losing to Villa and relegation rivals Bournemouth.
They are now deep in the relegation mire, sitting 19th in the table, and have just eight games to avoid what would be a catastrophic relegation to the Championship.
Smith was dismissed from his previous role as Norwich City boss in December, but sources have confirmed to 90min that a deal to bring him back to the Premier League is close to being agreed - one that would see former Leicester boss Craig Shakespeare return to King Power Stadium as his assistant.
The pair worked together at Carrow Road and at Aston Villa, with Shakespeare also previously part of Claudio Ranieri's Premier League title winning staff.
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Former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch had been in the running to charge at Leicester, but 90min reported on Sunday that talks had collapsed over long-term assurances the American had been seeking in case the club are relegated from the top flight.
Leicester have also spoken to Rafa Benitez about the role, but it's understood that the Spaniard hasn't ever been the club's preferred candidate.
90min has been told that the agreement with Smith will see him offered a contract until the end of the season, when a decision will then be made over whether or not to extend his stay. That could depend on whether or not Leicester are able to overcome a terrible run of form to beat the drop, which has plunged them deep into trouble.
Indeed, Leicester have taken just a single point from the last 24 available, and still need to play Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool before the 2022/23 campaign concludes.
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