Leicester head coach Michael Cheika will leave at the end of the season after deciding not to extend his contract with the club.
The Australian signed a one-year deal at the start of the campaign but just over a week ago he claimed negotiations about him remaining beyond the end of his current deal had been pushed back in the wake of a club record 80-12 defeat in the European Champions Cup to Toulouse.
"While disappointed, given the positive influence Michael has had since joining us in the summer, we were always aware of this being a one-year deal and we have been transparent with players, staff, and supporters on that point," said chief executive Andrea Pinchen.
"As we have said throughout Michael's tenure, we would have liked to have extended his time in the head coach role but understand why that can't happen.
"Knowing it was a one-year contract, the club has been running a recruitment process to find a suitable replacement.
"It goes without saying that Michael is fully committed to seeing out his time as head coach in a successful way, determined to add silverware to the trophy cabinet and we are excited about what remains in this campaign."
Cheika had been tenuously linked with the vacant Munster head coach role but played down any chance of taking up the job, claiming that his Leinster past rules him out of ever joining Munster.
"If that happened, I'd lose about 50,000 friends on impact and I don't have a lot of friends," he told Off The Ball. "I'm not losing the friends I have in Dublin, no chance!"
For Leicester speculation has already linked their former prop and ex-Munster head coach Graham Rowntree as a Cheika's potential replacement.
