Dean Smith - sacked by Aston Villa on Sunday - is understood to have impressed in his interview and is someone Norwich see as having the right credentials; they have also held talks with Frank Lampard and are keen to speak to Bodo Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen
Friday 12 November 2021 11:54, UK
Norwich City have interviewed former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith to be their new head coach
Smith is on Norwich's shortlist, alongside Frank Lampard and Ralph Hasenhuttl, to replace Daniel Farke, who was sacked on Saturday hours after clinching the side's first Premier League win of the season.
Norwich have spoken to Frank Lampard and also want to hold talks with Bodo Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen.
Smith is understood to have been extremely impressive in his interview, boasting an in-depth knowledge of the squad, playing style and culture of the club.
The former Brentford boss is believed to be keen on the job and wants to get back to work as soon as possible.
Knutsen, who is also attracting interest from Molde, has turned Bodo Glimt from relegation candidates to first-time Norwegian champions. They beat Roma 6-1 last month in the UEFA Conference League.
Lampard has not worked since he lost his job at Chelsea in January.
Smith and Lampard are both understood to have been very impressed with what they heard about the Norwich job, the structure of the club and the board's plans for the future.
Norwich are planning on making an appointment in time for the new head coach to prepare the squad for their next Premier League game - at home against Southampton a week on Saturday.
Smith is seen to hold all the necessary skills and experience to be a success at Carrow Road, having guided Villa to promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and kept them up in his first season before securing an 11th-placed finish last term.
He was dismissed by Villa after a fifth straight defeat on Friday against Southampton, but Villa had made a promising start this season after spending £90m in the summer and he had been unlucky with injuries to key players.
Southampton boss Hasenhuttl is seen as a long shot at this stage. Norwich bosses have huge admiration for the job he has done at St Mary's but accept it would be difficult to lure him away.
Norwich are determined to retain their Premier League status this time after being relegated after one season in the top flight under Farke in 2019, before bouncing straight back up again in a dominant Championship title win last term.
Sporting director Stuart Webber is leading the search for Farke's replacement, with considerable investment in the summer having yielded only five points from 11 games.
The November international break is notorious for being the time clubs decide to make a change, with Villa having already moved quickly to replace Smith with Steven Gerrard.
Newcastle announced Eddie Howe as their new head coach on Monday. but Manchester United have no plans to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer despite mounting pressure on the Norwegian.
