Eddie Howe has stepped down as head coach of AFC Bournemouth by mutual consent after the club was relegated to the Championship.
AFC Bournemouth finished 18th in the Premier League after losing 22 games.
Howe, 42, led Bournemouth in more than 450 games across two spells in charge.
“Having spent a total of 25 years with the club as both a player and a manager, this decision – made together with the club – is one of the hardest I’ve ever had to make,” said Howe.
“However, although the affection and love I have for this football club will always remain, we collectively feel that now is the right time for the club to go in a new direction.
“Bournemouth will always be in my heart, but I firmly believe now is the right time for the club to have a change.”
Howe initially took charge of Bournemouth on interim basis in 2008, with the team at the bottom of the Football League.
He helped the club to survive and earned a promotion the following campaign, an achievement that led to different clubs having interest in his services.
In January 2011, he moved to Burnley but he returned to Bournemouth 21 months later.
He led Bournemouth to the Championship in 2013 and the English top-flight two years later.
The club established itself in the Premier League until this season.
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