Shrewsbury have confirmed they have parted company with Gillingham managerial target Gareth Ainsworth.
The departing Shrews head coach looks set to take over at the Gills from League 1 basement boys Shrewsbury.
In an open letter on Tuesday afternoon, Salop said the League 2 club Ainsworth will join – understood to be Gillingham – initially refused to meet a termination clause in the 51-year-old’s deal before they did so at 4.41pm on Monday.
“I’m writing this open letter because I understand there is a lot of anger, worry and concern among supporters,” the letter from chairman Roland Wycherley said.
“As you will be aware from media reports this morning – and much to our shock and dismay – Gareth Ainsworth has informed us he wishes to leave the club after receiving an offer from a League 2 club.
“First of all, I can confirm that the club has done absolutely everything in its power to persuade Gareth to stay.
“Failing that, we also asked if he would continue until the end of the season.
“Gareth’s contract contained a termination clause, which the League 2 club in question initially refused to meet.
“We made clear from that point we would not allow him to leave and that we wanted him to honour the remainder of his contract.
“But Gareth made clear he wanted to leave immediately despite acknowledging the position the club are in at this moment in time.
“At a board meeting yesterday afternoon, the League 2 club had still refused to meet the termination clause.
“But at 4.41pm yesterday, STFC received confirmation that the club had agreed to pay the full termination fee for both Gareth Ainsworth and (assistant manager) Richard Dobson.
“This took any further negotiations out of our hands – and Gareth and Richard once again expressed their desire to leave immediately.”
Ainsworth, who led Wycombe to the Championship for the first time during their history in a stay of more than a decade, had been offered the chance to make his stay at Shrewsbury a long-term one, regardless of if they were relegated this season or not.
Wycherley said: “A few weeks ago, I sat down with Gareth and offered him a two-year contract extension regardless of our divisional status because, as a club, we were excited about the future with him at the helm.
“Gareth seemed pleased we made that offer, and everyone was looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.
“While we only received the final paperwork from the League 2 club this afternoon, I would like to – as much as possible – reassure fans that we are already in discussion with suitable candidates for the head coach role.
“We’re working really hard to have someone in place for Saturday.
“Once again, I fully understand why our supporters are feeling frustrated, confused and concerned.
“I can assure you, as a supporter myself, the current situation hurts me more than I can ever express.
“And with the club still in an exclusivity agreement regarding a potential takeover, we will keep you updated with events as they happen.”
Gillingham, 19th in League 2, have already revealed John Coleman has left his managerial role on Tuesday.
They are scheduled to visit Harrogate on Saturday while manager-less Shrewsbury will travel to League 1 frontrunners Birmingham.
