Tottenham Hotspur have announced the departure of manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The news broke on Tuesday night after a poor start to the Premier League under the Argentine. After 12 games of the season, Spurs sit in 14th place in the table 11th points off fourth placed Manchester City.
Reports emerged on Monday night that the former Tottenham manager and Chairman Daniel Levy were due to hold 'crisis talks'.
In a statement on the club's website, Tottenham confirmed the departure.
"The Club can today announce that Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff Jesus Perez, Miguel D’Agostino and Antoni Jimenez have been relieved of their duties," it read.
"Chairman, Daniel Levy, said: "We were extremely reluctant to make this change and it is not a decision the Board has taken lightly, nor in haste.
“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."
Pochettino signed a new five-year deal last summer, meaning that his contract ran until 2023.
Therefore, Levy would be required to pay compensation to both the former manager and the three members of the backroom staff who he has dismissed.
According to journalist Guillem Balague, who tweeted before the news was broken, the pay-off could be much higher than the figure of £12.5 million that has previously been reported.
It is claimed by the Mirror that the figure could be as high as the £19.6 million that Manchester United paid to Jose Mourinho when they sacked the manager in 2018.
