Lee Bowyer has quit his job as Charlton manager and is set to take over from Aitor Karanka at Birmingham City.
The former England midfielder has called time on a turbulent three years at The Valley, which included promotion to the Championship and relegation back to League One.
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Thomas Sandgaard’s buy-out of the south London club in the summer seemed to signal a bright new era for Charlton.
But the Addicks have struggled for large parts of this season.
They are still well in the hunt for the play-offs, but sit ten points off an automatic promotion spot.
Pressure has been building on Bowyer in recent weeks and he’s now decided to walk away from the club where he began his playing, as well as managerial, career.
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He leaves Charlton two points off the play-off positions in League One, albeit having played more games than most of the teams around them.
talkSPORT understands he is on the verge of taking over another of his former clubs, Birmingham.
The Blues are hovering dangerously above the Championship relegation zone and parted company with Aitor Karanka at the weekend.
Bowyer is fondly remembered at St Andrew’s having made 64 league appearances for Birmingham between 2009 and 2011.
His decision to leave Charlton will split opinion among Addicks fans, with some calling for his departure amid the club’s poor form earlier this season.
Others will remember the play-off final joy in 2019 when Patrick Bauer’s last-gasp winner sent Charlton to the Championship in Bowyer’s first full season in charge.
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Bowyer stood by the club during the summer when serious doubts loomed over Charlton’s future.
The Addicks were at risk of being thrown out of the Football League when three individuals from ESI failed the English Football League’s directors’ and owners’ test in August.
The south London club were relegated from the Championship last season and placed under a transfer embargo as the new campaign approached with things looking bleak.
Their future is more secure under Sandgaard, although Bowyer won’t be around to finish the club’s rebuild.
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