Jack Ross is poised to become the new manager of Dundee United - but Tam Courts looks to have missed out on the Rijeka job.
On a whirlwind day at Tannadice, Courts left after just a year in charge, having come to a mutual agreement with club chiefs after stating he wanted to “pursue other options”.
Courts, who led United back into Europe for the first time in a decade, held talks with Rijeka last week and after leaving his position at Tannadice looked set to make the move to Croatia.
But Record Sport understands a deal has not been agreed - and that Malta boss Devis Mangia is now the frontrunner to take over the the PRVA HNL side.
Courts is now reportedly being lined up by Hungarian side Honved as he looks to take the next step in his career.
Ross meanwhile has been lined-up as Courts’ replacement at Tannadice.
The 46-year-old has been out of a job since being sacked by Hibs in December just days before he was due to lead them out in the League Cup Final.
United sporting director Tony Asghar revealed the club has identified a preferred candidate is confident and is confident an appointment will be made in the coming days.
Asghar said: “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.
“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.
“But through the course of discussions with Tam it became clear he was keen to pursue other options and we had to look after the best interests of the club.
“Following continued discussions, we have now agreed to mutually terminate his contract to allow him time to secure his next opportunity.
“He leaves 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 we anticipate making a further announcement on this in the coming days.”
Courts was appointed almost exactly a year ago after being promoted from the United youth academy.
Not only did he lead United back into Europe via a fourth-place finish but he did so by blooding a number of talented youngsters with 16 academy products given top team minutes through the campaign.
But the 40-year-old sees his future elsewhere and 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 such as 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 they have continued success for 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.”
