Exclusive: Palmer believes Dean Smith has done a fantastic job at Aston Villa

Former Premier League footballer Carlton Palmer believes that Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has done a fantastic job. 

Since winning promotion from the Championship to the Premier League, Smith has guided Villa to a 17^th placed finish and last season an eleventh-place finish, with Villa last term accumulating 20 more points than the previous campaign, as they finished on 55 points.

Improving by six places and also seeing Villa’s goal difference go from -26 in the 2019/2020 campaign, to +9 in the 2020/2021 season, Palmer believes that Smith has done a fantastic job at Villa Park.

The former professional footballer told This is Futbol: “I think he’s done a fantastic job and I think it’s credit where credit is due.

“I think he’s done great business with the Grealish deal; I think they will finish higher than they did with Jack last season, which is testimony to the football club and the players that he’s brought in. I think he’s a fantastic coach, he’s a great fit.”

While Jack Grealish departed to Manchester City this summer, Smith and Aston Villa were able to bring Leon Bailey, Ashley Young, Emi Buendia, Axel Tuanzebe and Danny Ings to the football club.

Ahead of this weekend’s fixture against Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa sit eighth in the Premier League table on ten points, having won back-to-back matches against both Everton and Manchester United and after a good start to the campaign, everybody connected with the club will be hoping for another good season.