Dean Smith emerges as Aston Villa fans' choice to replace Steve Bruce
Dean Smith has emerged as the fans’ choice to become Villa’s new boss.
The Brentford manager topped an Express & Star poll asking supporters who they want to replace Steve Bruce in the Villa Park hotseat.
Smith took 25 per cent of more than 1,200 votes cast, with Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca in second place with 18 per cent.
Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers and former England chief Sam Allardyce both polled 10 per cent, with Thierry Henry taking eight per cent.
The latter is thought to be high on the club’s shortlist as chief executive Christian Purslow formally begins the search for Bruce’s successor.
A high-profile appointment is expected with owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens keen to deliver another statement of intent. Henry, who was heavily linked with the job during the summer, fits the bill in that respect.
So too does Fonseca, though Villa’s hopes of landing the 45-year-old already appear remote with the former Portugal international reluctant to manage in the Championship.
Smith also has his admirers inside Bodymoor Heath after turning Brentford into promotion contenders.
The former Walsall boss yesterday insisted he had given no thought to leaving the Bees, though in truth he would find it hard to ignore a formal approach from Villa, the club he supported as a boy.
He said: “There’s always going to be speculation; my dad was a steward and I was brought up a Villa fan but I’m not sure they are going to give Prince William the job, are they?”
