Leicester close to appointing Dean Smith as manager on short-term deal

Leicester City have turned their attention to appointing Dean Smith on a short-term deal in their bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League. There is optimism a deal could be finalised in the next 48 hours.

The club had pinpointed the former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch as their favoured option to take charge but talks broke down over the weekend. Talks have also been held with Rafael Benítez, who is also out of work.

Smith and his assistant, Craig Shakespeare, are in advanced talks with Leicester on taking charge until the end of the season. The duo, who also worked together at Aston Villa, left Norwich City in December after struggling to mount a challenge for automatic promotion.

After reluctantly sacking Brendan Rodgers, Leicester sounded out various candidates including Benítez, though had hoped the caretaker pairing of Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell could prove sufficient until the end of the season.

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Shakespeare, who was sacked four months into his reign as Leicester manager in 2017, is well respected within the club’s hierarchy. He worked as an assistant to Nigel Pearson and Claudio Ranieri, who led the club to the Premier League title against all odds in 2016.

Leicester, who are second bottom after three successive defeats, have lost eight of their past nine matches in all competitions and visit the champions, Manchester City, on Saturday. If talks progress as expected, Smith could be in charge for Leicester’s trip to the Etihad Stadium.