Tendayi Darikwa’s Nottingham Forest have parted company with manager Aitor Karanka after just a year in the job.
The 45-year-old Spaniard was appointed in January 2018 and has left the City Ground with Forest seventh in the Championship table.
His final game in charge was Saturday’s FA Cup defeat by Chelsea, having beaten Leeds the previous week to move within four points of the top six.
First-team coach Simon Ireland has been put in caretaker charge of the team.
A club statement said Karanka had “asked to be released from his contract” and they had agreed to his request.
Forest, who are away to Reading on Saturday, are now looking for their 11th full-time manager since June 2011.
Karanka arrived at Forest on a two-and-a-half year deal after being sacked by Middlesbrough in March 2017, having guided them promotion to the Premier League in 2015-16.
He was backed financially in the summer, signing Benfica midfielder Joao Carvalho for a club-record fee of £13.2m and striker Lewis Grabban for a reported £6m.
However, rumours surfaced surrounding the former Real Madrid coach’s future in December, when Forest slipped out of the play-off places during a run of five games without a win.
His side were 3-0 up at Norwich but surrendered the lead to draw 3-3, lost at struggling Millwall and were beaten at home by Preston and QPR.- BBC Sports
