Colin Kazim-Richards has been relieved of his duties as Crawley Town manager, the club have confirmed.

A failed Celtic signing under Ronny Deila in 2016, the 40-year-old had been working as a specialised attacking coach in Arsenal’s academy until being named manager at Broadfield Stadium in a surprise appointment earlier this year.

After a rough start, he managed to steer them clear of the bottom two in England’s second tier, avoiding back-to-back relegations. This earned him the chance to carry them into a first full season this time around.

Celtic were one of 18 clubs Kazim-Richards played for in an eventful career which saw him pop up in Brazil, the Netherlands and Mexico.

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Colin Kazim-Richards sacked by Crawley Town: ‘We wish them every success’

The club said in a statement in the early hours of Wednesday morning: “Crawley Town Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Colin Kazim-Richards and Assistant Head Coach Julian Gray have been relieved of their duties with immediate effect. Director of Football Erdem Konyar will also be leaving the club.

“The club would like to place on record its sincere thanks to Colin and Julian, who joined during a challenging period and played an important role in securing the club’s EFL status at the end of last season.

“We would also like to thank Erdem for his hard work and commitment since returning to the club last year. All three depart with the best wishes of everyone at Crawley Town, and we wish them every success in their future endeavours.”

In 2022, the club were bought over by “crypto bro” owners Wagmi United LLC. Last year, a new investment group with ties to the previous one took control.

Ex-Arsenal, Fenerbahce and Galatasaray forward Kazim-Richards signed for Celtic on Deadline Day of the 2016 winter window, after the disappointing signing of Nadir Ciftci six months earlier.

He scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 win over East Kilbride a week later, but would score just once again before being released at the end of the season.

It was then when he made the surprise switch to Brazil, signing for Coritiba before joining Sao Paulo giants Corinthians. He recently spent time back in Brazil furthering his coaching experience with Red Bull Bragantino, and maintains an active media career.