Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Mauricio Pochettino, just six months after he led the club to the Champions League final.
Pochettiono's exit ends a five-year reign, with the English Premier League club saying that it was a difficult move, after a disappointing start to the season. Spurs are currently 14th on the Premier League table.
"We were extremely reluctant to make this change, and it is not a decision the board has taken lightly nor in haste," Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said.
"Regrettably, domestic results at the end of last season and beginning of this season have been extremely disappointing.
"It falls to the board to make the difficult decisions - this one made more so, given the many memorable moments we have had with Mauricio and his coaching staff - but we do so in the club's best interests."
The statement said an update on the new coaching set-up would be made in due course.
Appointed by the north London club in 2014, the Argentine had turned perennial under-achievers Tottenham, who had been through a series of managers, into a force in the Premier League, with finishes of fifth, third, second - their best for more than 50 years - third and fourth.
They also reached the League Cup final in his first season.
He oversaw a remarkable Champions League campaign last season, beating Ajax Amsterdam on away goals in the semi-final, after trailing 3-0 on aggregate at halftime in the second leg, but lost 2-0 to Liverpool in the final in Madrid.
With the club also moving into a wonderful new stadium, everything was looking rosy, despite some concerns about a lack of activity in the transfer market.
But the first few months of this season have been disappointing, as the team won only three of their opening 12 Premier League games.
They were also thrashed 7-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League and knocked out of the League Cup by fourth-tier Colchester United.
Pochettino's assistant, Jesus Perez, and the rest of his backroom staff have also been relieved of their duties, the club said.
His five-year stint made Pochettino the club's longest-serving coach, since Keith Burkinshaw, who was in charge from 1976-84, and until Tuesday, the third-longest serving Premier League boss, behind Eddie Howe at Bournemouth and Sean Dyche at Burnley.
Several high-profile managers are available to replace Pochettino, including Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Massimiliano Allegri.
Bournemouth's Howe, Ajax's Erik Ten Hag and even England manager Gareth Southgate have also been touted.
Reuters
