Cardiff have appointed Aaron Ramsey until the end of the season and tasked him with saving them from relegation after sacking Omer Riza.
Riza was informed of the decision on Saturday after the 2-0 defeat by Sheffield United kept them one point adrift of Championship safety in 23rd.
Ramsey, 34, will take charge for the first time against Oxford United on Monday and will be assisted by Chris Gunter, his former Wales team-mate, and Joe Ralls.
A club statement read: ‘Cardiff City FC can confirm that a decision has been taken to relieve Omer Riza of his duties as First Team Manager.
‘Aaron Ramsey will lead the Club for the remaining three games of the Sky Bet Championship season, beginning with Monday’s match at home to Oxford United.
‘Chris Gunter, Joe Ralls, Tom Hutton and Matthew Bloxham will join Aaron in the technical area. We’d like to thank Omer for his passion and effort during his time as Cardiff City manager and wish him the very best for his next steps in the game.’
This will be Ramsey’s first managerial role and he has just three games to save his boyhood club, who will also play West Brom and Norwich this season.
He is the third coach in charge of Cardiff this campaign.
Erol Bulut began the season but was sacked after his side earned one point from their opening six games – their worst ever start. Riza, Bulut’s assistant, was then handed the reins on a an interim basis before being given a deal until the end of the season.
However, with the club teetering on the brink of dropping into League One for the first time since 2002, drastic action has been taken – with Ramsey now at the helm.
Ramsey broke into Cardiff’s first-team aged just 16 in 2007 before joining Arsenal. He returned to the Bluebirds in 2023 but has seen his game time limited due to injuries.
He was set to miss the rest of the season regardles after undergoing surgery on a hamstring problem sustained last month and will now focus solely on coaching.
Riza, 45, made a promising start after replacing Bulut and his appointment was made permanent until the end of the campaign. But Cardiff have plummeted since February, winning only twice since, and are bottom of the form table.
He angered supporters earlier this week when he accused ‘a lot of them’ of being ‘clueless’ after criticising him and his players for their woeful displays.
Ramsey took on coaching duties in Cardiff’s academy since rejoining for his second spell. He played for Arsenal between 2009 and 2019, making 369 appearances and scoring 64 goals. A regular in midfield under Arsene Wenger, he won two FA Cups.