Dean Smith (footballer, born 1971)

Dean Smith

Smith in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Dean Smith[1]
Date of birth	(1971-03-19) 19 March 1971 (age 53)
Place of birth	West Bromwich, England
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)[2]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Charlotte FC (head coach)
Youth career
1986–1989	Newcastle United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1989–1994	Walsall	142	(2)
1994–1997	Hereford United	117	(19)
1997–2003	Leyton Orient	239	(32)
2003–2004	Sheffield Wednesday	55	(1)
2004–2005	Port Vale	13	(0)
Total		566	(54)
Managerial career
2011–2015	Walsall
2015–2018	Brentford
2018–2021	Aston Villa
2021–2022	Norwich City
2023	Leicester City
2023–	Charlotte FC
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dean Smith (born 19 March 1971) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC.

Smith began his playing career as a defender with Walsall in 1989, where over the course of five years he played 166 league and cup games. After signing for Hereford United in 1994, three years and 146 appearances later he moved on to Leyton Orient. In six years with Orient he made 309 appearances in all competitions, before earning a move to Sheffield Wednesday in 2003. After a season with Wednesday he moved on to Port Vale, retiring in January 2005. He scored 54 goals in 566 league games in a 16-year career in the Football League.

Returning to Leyton Orient, he worked as assistant manager until January 2009. In July 2009, he was appointed as Head of Youth at Walsall, before taking over as manager in January 2011. He took Walsall from the relegation zone to safety in his first four months in charge. He took Walsall to the 2015 final of the Football League Trophy, before leaving the club to manage Brentford in November 2015. Smith was appointed as Aston Villa manager in October 2018 and took the club from 15th in the Championship to the Premier League via the play-offs in the 2018–19 season, and then to the 2020 EFL Cup final. He was dismissed by Aston Villa in November 2021 and soon after joined Norwich City for a thirteen-month spell in charge. He was appointed as Leicester City manager on a short-term basis in April 2023. He was appointed as head coach of American club Charlotte FC in December 2023.