Frank Lampard beaten to MLS job by ex-Premier League boss in return setback
Former Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is close to his return to football management - at the expense of Frank Lampard.
Smith has been out of work since his exit from his role as Leicester City manager in the summer. The 52-year-old had been hired by the Foxes in a bid to try and guide the club to Premier League safety last season.
However, Leicester succumbed to relegation to the Championship and Smith left his role soon after the conclusion of the campaign. Now it appears that the former Villa boss could be about to get a brand new role.
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According to The Athletic, Smith is in advanced talks to become manager of Major League Soccer club Charlotte FC. It has been claimed that Smith is the front-runner for the job, but that a deal is yet to be agreed upon despite an appointment seemingly looming.
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Smith has previously worked as manager of Norwich City, Brentford, and Walsall, as well as Villa and Leicester, across his career. Should Smith be hired by Charlotte it would be his first job in senior football management outside the UK.
Christian Lattanzio had served as Charlotte's manager until he was sacked on November 8. Lattanzio had guided the Eastern Conference club to the MLS playoffs for the first time, in what was only Charlotte's second season since earning franchise status.
Charlotte finished the MLS regular season in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, managing to secure a play-off spot by finishing two points ahead of Montreal. However, the season would come to an end with a 5-2 loss to the New York Red Bulls in the Wild Card round.
The Athletic reports that England legend and former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard was also in the running to become manager of Charlotte. Freddy Juarez, assistant manager of Seattle Sounders, has also been listed as being one of the three finalists for the role.
Lampard has also been out of work since the summer when he left his role as interim manager of Chelsea. The Stamford Bridge icon served his second stint in charge of his former club before being replaced by Mauricio Pochettino in the dugout.
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Frank Lampard has been out of work since leaving his role as Chelsea interim manager (Visionhaus/Getty Images)After the news around Lattanzio's exit was confirmed, club president Joe LaBue outlined Charlotte's plans to hire a new manager ahead of the 2024 MLS season.
"We undertook an offseason evaluation of our organization and we're confident this move is in the best interest of the Club for 2024 and beyond," said LaBue. "Our Club will continue to be ambitious and strive to progress both on and off the pitch."
Charlotte's squad will return for pre-season training in the New Year ahead of the new campaign. The 2024 MLS season is due to get underway in February/March, with the full fixture schedule set to be confirmed within the next few weeks.
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