Tam Courts’ time as head coach of Dundee United has come to an end.
The former United head coach has been linked with a move to Croatian side Rijeka in recent days and his departure from Tannadice has now been confirmed by the club.
A statement revealed a “mutual agreement” has been struck between club and Courts to allow the latter to pursue “opportunities outside of Scotland”.
We can confirm that Head Coach Tam Courts has left the club by mutual agreement.
Good luck and all the best for the future, Tam.
— Dundee United FC (@dundeeunitedfc) June 14, 2022
United sporting director Tony Asghar also revealed moves to appoint a new manager are already advanced and an appointment is likely to be made in the coming days.
Courts led United to their best-placed Premiership finish in nine years last season, securing a return to Europe in the process.
He said: “I’m immensely grateful to everyone at Dundee United for the opportunity they gave me to manage such a prestigious club.
“Tony Asghar took a chance on me and I had terrific backing from the owner Mark Ogren, the exec team and from my backroom staff Liam Fox and Adam Asghar.
“A special thank you must also go to the players who have been a joy to work with and a pleasure to lead. They give maximum effort to everything they do for the club and I hope that they have more success next season and beyond.
“Without their support and the backing of the fans, we wouldn’t have achieved our fourth-placed finish and qualification for the Europa Conference League.
“It’s not an easy decision to move on from Dundee United but I believe my time with the club has helped me grow and develop immensely, both personally and professionally and I feel ready for my next challenge.”
Tony Asghar offered his thanks to Courts and also lifted the lid on the hunt for a new manager, which is already well under way.
“I’d like to place on record our gratitude towards Tam Courts for the service he has given Dundee United both as head coach and in his previous role as head of tactical performance,” said United’s sporting director.
“We made a brave appointment last year by promoting from within.
“But it was a calculated risk that clearly paid off.
“We enjoyed a lot of success on the field last year and qualified for Europe. This is testament to the culture we have created throughout the club.
“Tam bought into our long-term strategy to develop some of the finest young talent in Scotland. The fruits of our labour are there for all to see with the recent international call-ups of Archie, Kieran and Ross.
“Through the course of discussions with Tam it became clear he was keen to pursue opportunities outside of Scotland. Following continued discussions, we have now agreed to mutually terminate his contract and allow him time to secure his next opportunity.”
“He will leave with our best wishes but I would like to assure Dundee United fans that the club is moving in a timely fashion to appoint a new Head Coach.
“We have identified a preferred candidate and are confident we anticipate making a further announcement on this in the coming days.”
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