Sami Hyypia has left Brighton & Hove Albion just six months into his contract after the Championship club's board accepted the manager's resignation on Monday.
The former Liverpool defender took over from Oscar Garcia on a three-year contract in the summer, but the Seagulls sit in the relegation zone after just one win in 18 games.
Sources told ESPN FC on Dec. 15 that former Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood is thought to figure highly on Brighton's wanted list.
Brighton were held to a 1-1 draw at Wolves on Saturday following a late goal from Danny Batth, and the former Bayer Leverkusen coach's duties have now been assumed in the interim by assistant Nathan Jones.
"Sami offered his resignation, and we reluctantly accepted earlier today," chairman Tony Bloom told the club's official website.
"Sami has worked extremely hard since joining the club last summer. Despite some good performances, including most recently at Wolves, results haven't gone as well as we all had hoped and expected.
"Sami is an incredibly honourable man. He remains a hugely respected and very popular figure at our club. He has decided to step down for the benefit of the team and the club.
"We are all very disappointed, but we respect Sami's decision and we all wish him well for the future."
Brighton lost their opening two league games this season but then recorded back-to-back victories before embarking on their current dismal run of league form -- with a 1-0 win over Wigan last month representing their only Championship success since August.
A run to the fourth round of the Capital One Cup provided some relief, but that ended with a 2-0 loss at Tottenham, and a 1-0 home defeat to fellow strugglers Millwall 10 days ago left Hyypia admitting his future at the club was uncertain.
Interim manager Jones will take charge of Brighton's match against Reading on Boxing Day.
The Press Association contributed to this report.