TAM COURTS has completed a move to Hungarian outfit Budapest Honved following his exit from Dundee United.
The Terrors announced his shock departure yesterday after having guided the Tannadice club to fourth place in the Scottish Premiership last term.
Courts had been linked with a move to Croatia outfit Rijeka, but the deal fell through.
Scotsman Chris Docherty is the sporting director of Honved and it is understood he played a crucial role in bring Courts to the club.
The 40-year-old spoke of delight after agreeing his move, saying: “I know what a great tradition there is for football in this country.
“I am the type of coach who achieves real success when surrounded by people who have a passion for football.
“I want to make the fans proud of the club again to see a team that will do everything on the field to win. The training centre is well equipped and the stadium is beautiful. I am very excited to be a part of this club.”
Courts led United to their highest-placed finish in nine years and secured European football for the first time in a decade.
He also gave 16 academy graduates first-team experience, with Archie Meekison, Kieran Freeman and Ross Graham earning Scotland Under-21 call-ups.
Sporting director Tony Asghar anticipates making an announcement on a new boss soon.
He said: “I’d like to place on record our gratitude towards Tam Courts for the service he has given Dundee United both as head coach and in his previous role as head of tactical performance.
“We made a brave appointment last year by promoting from within but it was a calculated risk that clearly paid off.
“We enjoyed a lot of success on the field last year and qualified for Europe. This is testament to the culture we have created throughout the club.
“Tam bought into our long-term strategy to develop some of the finest young talent in Scotland.
“The fruits of our labour are there for all to see with the recent international call-ups of Archie, Kieran and Ross.
“But through the course of discussions with Tam it became clear he was keen to pursue other options and we had to look after the best interests of the club.
“Following continued discussions, we have now agreed to mutually terminate his contract to allow him time to secure his next opportunity.
“He leaves with our best wishes, but I would like to assure Dundee United fans that the club is moving in a timely fashion to appoint a new head coach.
“We have identified a preferred candidate and we anticipate making a further announcement on this in the coming days.”
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