Journalist Luke Hatfield has squashed a recent claim that suggested Dean Smith was fighting to save his job at Aston Villa.
What was said about Smith?
According to the Football Insider, the boyhood Villa supporter was set to come under pressure if the Midlands giants were unable to improve results.
The report came after Villa were beaten 3-0 at Chelsea earlier this month, which meant they had only collected four points from their opening four games despite spending almost £90m this summer.
Villa sat 12th in the Premier League before beating Everton last weekend, and the Insider believed that had their form not turned around before the next international break, Smith would have been under serious pressure, especially with their next two games against Manchester United and Spurs.
But the three points against the Toffees calmed any potential nerves at Villa Park, although Hatfield didn't believe that Smith was fighting for his job in the first place.
What did Hatfield say?
He told GIVEMESPORT: "I'm not too sure how much pressure Dean would have been under. He's had a squad which has been a little bit disrupted in pre-season with Covid issues and injuries, so I don't think he was under any pressure whatsoever."
Arsenal vs Spurs | Chelsea vs Man City | The Football Terrace delivers your weekend preview!
Were those claims fair?
Absolutely not. Four points from a possible 12 does represent a poor start to the season for Villa, especially with the amount they spent.
But they're still adapting to life after Jack Grealish, whilst the majority of their new signings haven't yet settled in. If Villa had kept producing similar results after 15 games, then Smith's position should come under threat, but not after four, especially one of those being away to Chelsea.
Collecting just a single point against two promoted teams after losing away at Watford and then drawing with Brentford is a poor return, but Villa are still searching for consistency and showed what they're capable of against Everton.
With Chelsea away already ticked off, seven points from five matches, which leaves them just three behind Manchester City in fifth, isn't a bad start at all for Smith's side, who'll only improve once the likes of Leon Bailey and Emiliano Buendia stamp their authority on the squad.