Enzo Maresca has left his role as Chelsea manager with the club sitting fifth in the Premier League.
The Italian, 45, departs less than six months after winning the Club World Cup at the end of his first season at Stamford Bridge.
"With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track," Chelsea said.
The Blues have won just one of their past seven league matches and took only six points from six games in December to fall 15 points behind leaders Arsenal.
But results are only a small part of the story.
Maresca, who had a contract due to run to 2029, delighted key figures at Stamford Bridge - including sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, and influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali - by steering Chelsea to a top-four finish and winning the Conference League and Club World Cup last year.
Yet success soon turned to sourness in his relationship with the hierarchy.
