“I’d be surprised” – Carlton Palmer reacts as Sheffield Wednesday eye ex-Leicester City manager

Dean Smith is reportedly on Sheffield Wednesday’s list of managerial targets.

Pundit Carlton Palmer says he would be surprised if Dean Smith is willing to work under chairman Dejphon Chansiri at Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls are on the hunt for a new manager after Darren Moore’s shock departure just weeks after he led the club to promotion from League One through the play-offs, with Chansiri revealing that a dispute over a new contract was the reason for Moore’s exit.

“I told Darren I was happy for him to stay, he achieved promotion and deserved a chance in the Championship. I said I was happy to increase his salary and add more bonuses into the contract, with the highest bonus if we reached the Premier League. But the proposal Darren presented was significantly in excess of his contract and I said I cannot offer a minimum of four times your current salary on a three-year contract, I have to be realistic and protect the club,” Chansiri said in a statement on the club’s official website.

Vitor Campelos, Giuseppe Iachini and Benito Carbone are all interested in the vacancy, while Slaven Bilic is said to be under consideration.

The Star claim that former Norwich City and Leicester City boss Dean Smith is “top of the list” to replace Moore, but there have been conflicting reports, with journalist Rob Staton denying that there has been any contact between the Owls and the 52-year-old.

Smith left the King Power Stadium earlier this month after he was unable to keep the Foxes in the Premier League, winning just two of his eight games in charge since replacing Brendan Rodgers on a short-term contract in April.

What did Carlton Palmer say?

 

At a recent fans forum, Chansiri suggested that any incoming manager would have to work with the club’s existing list of summer transfer targets.

“We don’t need to worry about the coach or not, whoever I bring in will still use that list. I won’t allow a coach to come in and change my player – they have to come in and fit to my players,” Chansiri told The Star.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said that while Smith would be an excellent appointment for the Owls, he believes he would have reservations about working with Chansiri.

Smith left the King Power Stadium earlier this month after he was unable to keep the Foxes in the Premier League, winning just two of his eight games in charge since replacing Brendan Rodgers on a short-term contract in April.

What did Carlton Palmer say?

At a recent fans forum, Chansiri suggested that any incoming manager would have to work with the club’s existing list of summer transfer targets.

“We don’t need to worry about the coach or not, whoever I bring in will still use that list. I won’t allow a coach to come in and change my player – they have to come in and fit to my players,” Chansiri told The Star.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said that while Smith would be an excellent appointment for the Owls, he believes he would have reservations about working with Chansiri.

Would Dean Smith be a good appointment for Sheffield Wednesday?

Smith would be a solid appointment for the Owls.

His last two managerial spells at Norwich and Leicester were disappointing, but the Canaries were fifth in the Championship at the time of Smith’s sacking and they eventually finished 13th under his successor David Wagner, while he was not given sufficient time to save the Foxes from the drop.

Smith has enjoyed success at Walsall, Brentford and most notably Aston Villa, leading Villa to promotion to the Premier League in 2019 and guiding them to survival in the top flight and the EFL Cup final the following

As a newly-promoted side entering what is likely to be an incredibly competitive Championship, Wednesday cannot afford to gamble and Smith would be a safe pair of hands to stabilise them on their return to the division.

Palmer is right that any potential new manager would have concerns about how much control they would have over transfers, but Chansiri has said that the manager will have the final say on recruitment.

Given that Moore’s exit seems to be due to a disagreement over his contract and wages rather than transfer related, it should not act as too much of a deterrent to Smith or any other managerial candidate.