Julian Nagelsmann has been sacked by Bayern Munich - with former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel lined up to replace him.
Bayern Munich, who have won the last 10 Bundesliga titles in a row, lie second in the league table, one point behind rivals Borussia Dortmund but bosses remain unconvinced by Nagelsmann and informed him on Thursday his services are no longer required.
The 35-year-old received the news while away on a skiing holiday and it arrived as a major shock with Bayern still in the title race and the Champions League.
Nagelsmann jetted back to Munich on Friday and was seen arriving at the training ground in a black Audi with his agents Kai Psotta and Sascha Breese.
A report from German newspaper Bild detailed that Nagelsmann, who was under contract through until 2026, could end up costing Bayern £62million to sack, due to continuing to pay his salary until he lands a new job, the compensation they paid RB Leipzig to get him and the costs to bin his coaching staff.
Assistant coaches Dino Toppmöller and Xaver Zembrod, as well as video analyst Benjamin Glück, are also leaving.
Nagelsmann has had his critics since he arrived and reports in Germany detailed his lack of player development and the fact he chose to go on holiday during the international break, at such a key moment in the season, sent out the wrong message.
His final match in charge was a 2-1 defeat away to Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, which left them second in the table behind Borussia Dortmund, who they face in their next match on April 1.
After defeat at Leverkusen, Nagelsmann ripped into his players for having 'zero per cent work rate'.
Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic also labelled them 'lazy, like I've never experienced' after their title-race blow.
Nagelsmann won 60 of his 84 games in charge of Bayern (71.4 per cent), having joined the club in July 2021.
In that time he has claimed one Bundesliga trophy and two German Super Cups.
Tuchel will be tasked with winning the Bundesliga and going the distance in Europe.
Nagelsmann leaves with a perfect record in the Champions League this season - eight win from eight games. That was still not enough to save him from the sack.
Bayern defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 on aggregate in his last Champions League match in charge in Bavaria.
Eager for a clean slate ahead of crucial fixtures against Dortmund, Freiburg and Manchester City, Bayern felt a change in management would better protect their chances of winning the treble.
Tuchel is poised to take over midway through the international break.
Despite eviscerating his players after the Leverkusen loss, Nagelsmann remain highly regarded by senior players.
Speaking on Friday while away with the German national team, Joshua Kimmich said: 'I can only say that Julian Nagelsmann is an outstanding coach.
'He's easily in my top three best coaches.'
On Thursday night after Portugal beat Liechtenstein 4-0, Joao Cancelo was left stunned after he was told Nagelsmann had been sacked.
Portuguese full-back Cancelo was interviewed by SportTV after scoring the opener as Roberto Martinez's side cruised to victory.
A reporter told the 28-year-old that Nagelsmann had been sacked and Tuchel was replacing him.
The reporter said: 'This is breaking news: coach change at Bayern. Tuchel is the new coach. What is your reaction?'
Cancelo looked shocked and replied: 'I did not know! I'm a little surprised. Thanks to Nagelsmann, he was the one who wanted me at Bayern. All the luck in the world to him.
'I'm going to try to adapt our coach's concepts as much as possible because we have several important games, in the decisive phase of the season.
'Bayern is a team always ready to win everything.'