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Andre Villas-Boas to leave Zenit Saint Petersburg

Alexander Demianchuk / REUTERS

Andre Villas-Boas has announced his plans to step down as manager of Zenit Saint Petersburg at the end of this season.

His decision to leave the Russian side comes after an attempt to depart Zenit during the summer was blocked by team officials.

Villas-Boas, who joined Zenit in March of 2014, revealed that the team's transfer policy was one of the motives for his decision to leave.

"At the end of the last season the club offered me the chance to extend my contract, but I refused this offer and at the end of this season I will leave my post," Villas-Boas told the team's website.

"We did not undertake the work during the transfer window that we had expected and the squad is limited. It has not been strengthened with the exception of those players who came at the start of the transfer window. The limit on foreign players has changed.

"Even despite this we will carry on working and we need to get points to catch those who are in front of us, while we will also try to be successful in the Champions League."

Villas-Boas joined Zenit following unsuccessful stints with Chelsea and Tottenham in the Premier League. He guided the Russian team to the league title last year. Villas-Boas is currently serving a six-game suspension for pushing an official.

Zenit currently sits six points out of first place after its first seven matches of this season.

- With h/t to The Guardian

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