Former Aston Villa manager and fan favourite, Dean Smith has opened up about watching the club and their progress under Unai Emery.
It has been a great season for Aston Villa in the Premier League but things were so different not too long ago.
Just five years ago, Villa were in the Championship and weren’t having a great time of it as a general rule. Nowadays, Unai Emery is at the wheel and steering the Villans towards a title charge and a potential top four spot.
Some star signings have been made in the past two seasons, which have helped shape the side we all know now. Moussa Diaby and Pau Torres signed this summer, adding to Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara the year prior. The quality has gone from strength to strength at Villa Park and the results are reflecting that.
With that being said, there are plenty of players with the club that have been in B6 for many years. They have risen with the club and improved massively with them.
What has Dean Smith said?
11 of the 26 Villans in the current squad played under Dean Smith, with all but one of them being signed by the Englishman. This represents a 42% share of the squad that the former gaffer can take some responsibility for.
Villa fans are still big fans of Smith for what he did during his time at the club. Coming in and securing promotion through the play-offs was enough for him to become a hero.
After this, he was able to keep the Villans in the Premier League against all odds which provided a platform to build from. The following season saw Smith guide Villa to an 11th-place finish before he was sacked the following season.
Looking back at his time with the club in an article with the Telegraph he clearly is still fond of his boyhood club. As beforementioned Smith is responsible for nearly half of the current Villa team which he is clearly proud of.
On that, he said: “I look at the spine Unai usually goes for and I’m quite proud of the fact it’s Emi Martínez, Ezri Konsa, John McGinn, who Steve Bruce signed but played really well for me, Douglas Luiz and Ollie Watkins.”
Looking at those names, they are some of the most well-liked players at the club and some of the best-performing stars.
Villa fans have plenty to thank Dean Smith for and they always react well to seeing him in and around the club. The players he is responsible for are great and it is a testament to his job at the club that there are still players knocking around from his time.
