Aston Villa has sacked manager Dean Smith after five straight Premier League defeats.
Villa’s 1-0 loss to Southampton at St Mary’s on Friday night saw them drop to 16th on the table with three wins from their opening 11 games.
Smith is the second managerial sacking in the Premier League in as many days after Daniel Farke was relieved of his duties by Norwich City.
Villa CEO Christian Purslow said in a club statement: “When Dean joined us in October 2018 our team was really struggling in The Championship.
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“He immediately transformed the atmosphere and performances and achieved the ultimate success of leading Villa back to the Premier League within the same season - a rare feat.
“He then secured our place in the Premier League after a tough campaign and took us to a Cup Final at Wembley.
“However, after a good start to last season, this year we have not seen the continuous improvement in results, performances and league position which we have all been looking for.
“For this reason, we have decided to make a change now to allow time for a new head coach to make an impact.”
Villa finished 11th under Smith in the Premier League last season. They sit two points above the relegation zone heading into the international break.
Smith becomes the fifth Premier League manager to be sacked this season, joining Farke, Xisco Munoz (Watford), Steve Bruce (Newcastle) and Nuno Espirito Santo (Tottenham) in losing their coaching positions.