Newcastle United will not be the only club with a new man at the helm when the Premier League returns next week.
Aston Villa recently axed Dean Smith and replaced him with Steven Gerrard but the former may not be unemployed for much longer.
According to The Athletic, Smith has been offered the vacant head coach role at Norwich City, who parted ways with Daniel Farke last weekend.
Mid-season sackings are not ideal but since the 2021/22 campaign began, five Premier League clubs have made a change in the dugout.
Watford replaced Xisco Munoz with Claudio Ranieri in early October, shortly before Nuno Espirito Santo was dismissed by Tottenham Hotspur.
Supporters from various clubs have weighed in with their views on the report that Smith has been offered a job by the Canaries and it has certainly divided opinion.
@FactsRafa tweeted: "Dean Smith has similar pros and cons as Farke, great for promotion but won't be for staying up.
"I say that because Smith needed £140m net (won't get that at Norwich) to stay up and finished 17th.
"Results were terrible without superstar Grealish."
@livermore_tom tweeted: "What an incredibly underwhelming start to the weekend. At no point in the last four years would I have swapped Farke for Smith. Clearly shows no real plan was in place when they sacked Farke."
Although some have been critical, social media has also been awash with supporters backing Smith and insisting he would be a good fit for the side currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.
@humanmale1984 tweeted: "A head coach with over 500 games of experience in English football who’s survived a Premier League relegation battle and an assistant who worked with Ranieri to win the Premier League with an unfancied Leicester. That’s got the potential to be a really good appointment for me."
@Talkin_Monkey tweeted: "Smith would have definitely got Villa to mid-table this season, but our owners have aspirations far exceeding those. With respect Norwich staying in (the) Premier League is the goal this season and mid-table next. Dean can absolutely deliver that."
@Danosaur1 tweeted: "Good appointment if it happens. He has valuable Championship experience and has survived relegation from (the) Premier League when it looked impossible.
@jonhare tweeted: "At this stage it seems like a good fit all round. Smith has experience in the Premier League and Championship. He can work well with young players, tight budgets and directors of football. Also, Shakespeare is no mug at this level. I hope the deal is done quickly and we can move forward."
Magpies supporters will be keeping a close eye on developments at Carrow Road as currently Norwich are a direct rival in the fight for survival in the top flight and the two sides are level on points.
If Smith does take charge before the weekend, his first test as Norwich boss will be against 13th-placed Southampton.
Newcastle will host Brentford and Howe will be on the touchline at St James' Park for the first time as head coach of the club.
