Nicky Milo, the much-criticised head of The Lions' Youth Academy, will quit his role in the next week after agreeing a pay-off deal.
Milo has been with the club since 1997, when he rejoined Millwall after a seven year absence, and in that time he has overseen the emergence of such talents as Steven Reid, Paul Ifill and Tim Cahill. Yet over the past three seasons the Academy has been heavily criticised for failing to produce the level of players needed to sustain running costs of over £1 million per year.
Even so, the side that played in the club's last home game of the season featured nine Academy graduates.
"I'll be very sad to go," Milo told the South London Press. "But I just felt my time was up.I have given my all, but I have been doing it long enough.
"Some people complain about the cost of the academy, but I believe it is the way forward and we are proud of the players we have produced over the years.
"But it is becoming bigger and bigger, with up to 50 staff now running teams from U9s to U18s, and there might be ways of trimming it down - though that might hit our ability to compete with the big clubs.
"A younger man, with new ideas, might be able to shake things up."
Former manager Alan McLeary is favourite to take over the role.