Leicester have parted company with manager Craig Shakespeare following Monday's 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion, the club confirmed on Tuesday, with sources telling ESPN FC that they want Thomas Tuchel as his replacement.
The former Premier League champions sit 18th in the table after only one win in their opening eight games of the campaign, a 2-0 win against Brighton on Aug. 19.
Shakespeare was named permanent Leicester manager on a three-year contract in June after keeping them in the Premier League following a relegation battle last season.
He replaced Claudio Ranieri, who was sacked in February, on a temporary basis and led the club to six consecutive wins in all competitions and eight wins in 16 games overall.
"Craig has been a great servant to Leicester City -- during his spells as an assistant manager and since taking over as manager in challenging circumstances in February," Leicester vice chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement.
"His dedication to the Club and to his work has been absolute and the contribution he made to the most successful period in Leicester City history is considerable.
"However, our early promise under Craig's management has not been consistently evident in the months since and the Board feels that, regrettably, a change is necessary to keep the club moving forward -- consistent with the long-term expectations of our supporters, board and owners.
"Craig is and will remain a very popular, respected figure at Leicester City and will be welcome back at King Power Stadium in future, both professionally and as a friend of the club."
Assistant manager Michael Appleton will lead the team on an interim basis for Saturday's game away to Swansea City.
Sky Sports reported that former boss Nigel Pearson -- who is now in charge of Belgian club OH Leuven -- was not a candidate for a return to the King Power Stadium and sources close to the club told ESPN FC that former Dortmund manager Tuchel is their top target.
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