Dundee United have announced the departure of head coach Tam Courts by “mutual agreement”.
Courts was in charge at Tannadice for a year, leading United to fourth in the Scottish Premiership and a Europa Conference League spot.
Sporting Director Tony Asghar said news of a replacement is expected in “the coming days”.
Former Kelty Hearts boss Courts had been employed as the club’s head of tactical performance before he was the surprise choice to succeed Micky Mellon last summer.
“We made a brave appointment by promoting from within but it was a calculated risk that clearly paid off,” added Asghar.
“We enjoyed a lot of success on the field and qualified for Europe. This is testament to the culture we have created throughout the club.
“Tam bought into our long-term strategy to develop some of the finest young talent in Scotland.”
Only last month, owner Mark Ogren said he would not hold Courts back if a lucrative offer came his way.
And Asghar explained: “Through the course of discussions with Tam it became clear he was keen to pursue other options and we had to look after the best interests of the club.
“Following continued discussions, we have now agreed to mutually terminate his contract to allow him time to secure his next opportunity.
“He leaves with our best wishes, but I would like to assure Dundee United fans that the club is moving in a timely fashion to appoint a new head coach. We have identified a preferred candidate and we anticipate making a further announcement on this in the coming days.”
