Charlotte FC named former Aston Villa manager Dean Smith as their head coach on Tuesday and handed him a multi-year contract.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the MLS club for Smith, who previously guided Brentford, Norwich City, Leicester City and Walsall.

“Dean is a well-respected manager with over a decade of professional coaching, including at the highest level of the game in the Premier League, and we’re delighted to welcome him to Charlotte FC,” sporting director Zoran Krneta said in a statement.

“He has a proven track record of sporting success across multiple levels of professional football and his man-management style will be welcomed by our locker room. Dean’s excited to hit the ground running in Charlotte and we look forward to welcoming him and his family soon.”

Smith, 52, expressed his excitement in becoming the new coach of Charlotte.

“Throughout the interview process, it was clear that this is an ambitious club with the right ingredients for success and I’m delighted to begin a new chapter in Charlotte,” he said.

“This is a unique opportunity to be part of a project with so much potential to take to new heights in Major League Soccer.”

Smith replaces Christian Lattanzio, with whom Charlotte parted ways last month. That move came on the heels of the club qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Lattanzio, 52, posted an 8-10-2 record to conclude the 2022 season after the team fired Miguel Angel Ramirez on May 31. He then pieced together a 10-11-13 record and made the playoffs in 2023 before dropping a 5-2 decision to the New York Red Bulls in the wild-card round.

–Field Level Media