Dean Smith appointed Aston Villa manager with John Terry as assistant

Dean Smith has been appointed the new manager of Aston Villa, with the club’s former captain, John Terry, named as his assistant.

Smith emerged as the frontrunner to replace Steve Bruce at Villa Park after the club’s options had narrowed in the wake of Thierry Henry and Rui Faria making it clear they are not interested, paving the way for the Brentford manager to take over at the club he grew up supporting.

He will be joined at the Championship club by Terry, who led Villa to last season’s play-off final and announced his retirement from professional football at the weekend. Villa have also appointed Jesus García Pitarch as their new sporting director. The Spaniard has previously worked as director of football at Valencia and Atlético Madrid.

“These three appointments represent the start of a new era and direction at Aston Villa and we are delighted to secure their services after an extensive search,” said Villa’s chief executive Christian Purslow in a statement. “Dean has a clear and successful coaching philosophy as well as a real understanding of Aston Villa Football Club. He is also knowledgeable about the Championship. The board welcomes him to the club and is looking forward to working with him and his staff.”

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The statement added: “John is one of the most decorated players in English football, has an affinity with the club and is ready to make the next step in his career working alongside Dean. And Jesus also brings a huge amount of experience in his particular role having worked with some of the biggest clubs in Europe. He will ensure the club has an integrated approach running from the academy through the U23s and into the first-team.”

Smith is not the name Villa’s majority owners had in mind when they took the decision to sack Bruce last Wednesday but the 47‑year‑old did feature prominently on the original shortlist and there is respect for his attacking style of football and the job he has done at Brentford.

Henry, who had been strongly linked with the job in the summer, was the No1 choice and Villa were reasonably confident of appointing the Frenchman after initial talks.

But any deal is off the table, with the former Arsenal striker one of the leading candidates to replace Leonardo Jardim at Monaco.

Faria, José Mourinho’s former assistant, was also in the frame, along with Brendan Rodgers, Celtic’s manager. After spending 17 years alongside Mourinho, Faria wants to become a manager but it is understood he is looking for a more high-profile opportunity, in the Premier League ideally. Rodgers has said he is committed to Celtic.