Leicester City has appointed former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith on a short-term deal until the end of the season to keep their Premier League status.
Leicester had identified Jesse Marsch as a possible replacement for Brendan Rodgers. Still, after talks fell over the weekend, they hastened negotiations with Smith, who Norwich City sacked in December after failing to establish an automatic promotion campaign.
Leicester admires Graham Potter, although it is believed he wants to take a sabbatical from football after being fired by Chelsea.
Craig Shakespeare and John Terry, who were on Smith's coaching staff at Villa, will join him in meeting the Leicester squad before taking command of training on Tuesday. Smith acknowledged that the club is in a vulnerable position, sitting second bottom of the table and facing relegation to the Championship after three consecutive league defeats.
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On Saturday, Leicester will face champions Manchester City in Smith's debut game in charge. "If it was something [a challenge] that I thought was insurmountable, I wouldn't have come, and Shakey and JT wouldn't have come if they thought the same," Smith explained.
"We're going to treat it like a competition." We have six games and eight weeks to preserve the season. We can't escape the truth that we're in a difficult situation right now."
Leicester heard many possibilities, including Rafael Benitez, after reluctantly firing Rodgers, who was under contract until 2025 but had hoped the caretaker pairing of Adam Sadler and Mike Stowell would steer the team out of relegation jeopardy.
Sadler and Stowell, who will be on Smith's staff, lost both of their games as caretaker managers last week, at home to Aston Villa and Bournemouth. Leicester has lost eight of their last nine games in all competitions and are two points adrift of safety with eight games remaining.
Shakespeare, who was fired as Leicester's manager four months into his tenure in 2017, is well-liked inside the club's leadership. He assisted Nigel Pearson and Claudio Ranieri, who led the team to a Premier League triumph against all odds in 2016.
"I think the three of us make a good package," Smith, 52, said of his backstage personnel. "Everyone at this club thinks Craig is an excellent assistant manager. JT is an excellent defensive coach, but he also has extensive Premier League and elite-level playing experience. He will also set high standards."
