Stoke City have confirmed that manager Tony Pulis has left his post at the club by mutual consent.
The Welshman has been at the helm at the Britannia Stadium since 2006 during his second spell after initially overseeing the Potters between 2002 and 2005.
He saw Stoke return to the Premier League in 2008 and also guided them to the FA Cup final in 2011 during his second reign but after a dismal 2012/13 campaign has decided to depart.
"Stoke City and Tony Pulis confirm that they have mutually agreed that Tony will leave the Club with immediate effect," read a club statement.
Outgoing Chelsea interim boss Rafael Benitez is the early favourite to replace Pulis with Roberto Di Matteo and Mark Hughes also in the running.
