Breaking: Aston Villa fires manager Dean Smith

Aston Villa have announced that they have sacked Dean Smith.

Smith leaves Villa after Friday's 1-0 defeat to Southampton, a result that made it five straight losses in the Premier League.

Villa have not collected any points since a 1-0 win at Manchester United on September 25 and have since been beaten by Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Arsenal, West Ham United and Southampton.

It has not been easy for Smith with key players out injured and having had to deal with the departure of Jack Grealish for a British record transfer fee of £100 million to Manchester City.

But the club's owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens have acted, along with chief executive Christian Purslow, to dismiss Smith with Villa only two points clear of the relegation zone after Saturday's results.

In a statement on the club´s website: "This year we have not seen the continuous improvement in results, performances and league position which we have all been looking for.

Villa Cheif Executive Christian Purslow

For this reason we have decided to make a change now to allow time for a new head coach to make an impact.