Moisley set for Athletic exit

Mark Moisley

Just days after dismissing Richie Wellens as manager, Athletic owner Abdallah Lemsagam appears set to continue his clear out of the football club with the news that Chief Executive Mark Moisley is to leave.

It’s understood the move was made on Monday morning after Mr Moisley had returned from the EFL’s Summer Conference in Portugal.

It will end his 16-month tenure as Chief Executive after taking over on a full-time basis from Neil Joy in October, 2016.

Mr Moisley had held the post on a caretaker basis - before that he was Commercial Director at Athletic.

The club haven’t confirmed who will be stepping into the role of Chief Executive either on a temporary or full-time basis, and they remain in the midst of a managerial search after sacking Wellens on Friday morning.

Neil Redfearn remains the bookies' favourite for the job, but other names being linked include former Manchester United and England star Paul Scholes, former Doncaster Rovers manager Darren Ferguson and current Athletic centre-back Peter Clarke, although some reports suggest Clarke has already ruled himself out of the running.

Along with trying to find a new manager, owner Lemsagam, who took over in January, also faces the prospect of finding a replacement for Mr Moisley as Chief Executive with little over two weeks remaining before the players return for pre-season training.

Athletic said in a statement: “The club will not be making a comment on this at the moment.”