Aston Villa manager Dean Smith came very close to being sacked by the club at one point in his tenure.

Villa are currently safe and secure in a midtable Premier League position, but it has been reported that things weren't always as rosy for Smith during his time at the helm.

Smith nearly got the sack in 2019

Football Insider have recently reported about Smith, saying that the club would've sacked the Englishman if they had lost to Derby County in a Championship game back in March 2019. The defeat would've left them further behind in the race for promotion and chief executive Christian Purslow was reportedly ready to let go of Smith just five months into his tenure.

As much as Smith's job was on the line, Villa picked up a very impressive 4-0 win over Frank Lampard's Derby. Conor Hourihane grabbed a brace, with Jack Grealish and loanee Tammy Abraham scoring a goal each (BBC Sport). From there, they never looked back.

Decision to not sack Smith paying off

In the 2018/19 Championship campaign, Villa finished fifth in the table but they won promotion via the play-offs, beating Derby in the final to return to the top flight.

While they avoided relegation only narrowly last season, some quality summer spending has left them on course to secure a midtable finish this term.

If Villa can invest well in the summer once again, they could end up going one better and potentially finish closer to the European places. Considering the job Smith has done since he was threatened with the sack two years ago, supporters can be glad that Purslow didn't pull the trigger.

In other news, 'Phenomenal' £47k-p/w Villa ace linked with shock exit; 8-word reveal key to any deal - report