Rutten’s position was thrown into doubt last Monday when Barham, who had wanted an external review of the club’s underperforming football department instead of an internal one, took over from Paul Brasher as president.

Essendon then made a late, failed bid for four-time premiership coach Clarkson, who on Friday agreed to a five-year deal to coach North Melbourne.

Barham on Friday apologised to Rutten for not calling him as soon as he started the club’s pursuit of Clarkson.

Rutten coached his last game on Saturday night, a 66-point loss to Richmond, and said afterwards he was disappointed at the way he had been treated but wanted to coach out his contract in 2023.

“I am committed to coaching this footy club. That’s my job, that’s what I signed up for. I said it [on Friday], I didn’t put my hand up to coach this footy club because I thought it would be easy – I did it because I thought I could make a difference,” he said.

“I signed up, and I committed to give my services to the Essendon Football Club and the supporters and the members and the players. That’s what I want to do – I want to see it through. I know I can make a difference and I know I can take us to where we want to get to.

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“It’s been disappointing. I probably think I deserve better. I think that’s something that we need to come together, as a whole football club, and we need to stick to [the] plan, put our heads down, bum up, and do the work. There is no other way,” Rutten said.

In his statement on Sunday, Barham added: “We will be a bold and courageous football club again. We need to return to being a successful football club.

“We will thoroughly and diligently consider our next steps and in due course, will communicate the process of our next senior coach appointment.”

Club great Matthew Lloyd told 3AW on Sunday that he understood the club’s decision.

“The performance just wasn’t good enough, you watch them every week and there was just nothing about them that you thought, ‘OK, they’re on the right track on the way they’re developing’...”

Barham and CEO Xavier Campbell will address the media on Sunday afternoon and are expected to lay out some of the details on how they will go about replacing Rutten.

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