Former Blues boss Paul Hurst won’t be returning to his former club Shrewsbury Town with Shrews CEO Brian Caldwell believing it’s too early for him to come back, citing the manner of the 44-year-old’s summer exit for Portman Road.
Hurst, who had managed the Shrews for 18 months, was replaced by John Askey in the summer, but the ex-Macclesfield boss was sacked earlier this week.
"It's too soon for Paul to come back to this football club," Caldwell told the Shropshire Star.
"A lot of things went on that not everybody's privy to, some things have come out fairly recently, I think the way it happened with him clearing his office the day before the biggest game in our history [the League One play-off final].
"I look at it, with the monies in the Championship now, as one of the biggest games in our history. To talk to players on the way back from the play-off final about next season having lost gave indications he was staying.
"He then jumped in his car, which was full with his office things. There's no doubt interviews had taken place.
"You find out more and more truths. You have lost that trust with someone doing something behind your back for such a length of time at a really important time for this football club. Nobody's bigger than Shrewsbury Town Football Club."
Caldwell added: "Paul and his agent negotiated a new contract at the turn of the year, nine or 10 months ago, and was immediately trying to work an exit strategy.
"Listen I'm all for an exit strategy. If the situation had been different and he'd come and said 'If I get this opportunity I'd like to take it' — then we wanted him to be ambitious.
"We spoke all through his time how important it was to be ambitious and take the next step. We wanted to be the club he took the next step with. But there's a way of managing that ambition.
"I like to be honest with everybody and tell the truth. I like to be able to sleep at night knowing I'm not doing something behind someone's back."
Hurst, who left the Blues along with his staff after only 149 days in charge last month, still remains the bookies’ second-favourite for the Shrews job at 2-1 with Sky Bet behind Wrexham manager Sam Ricketts at 6-4.
The ex-Town manager has also been linked with the vacant positions at AFC Wimbledon, he is third-favourite for that job at 6-1, and Notts County, fourth-favourite at 8-1.