Holland only joined the Potters at the end of last season and was reported to have turned down Chelsea due to geographical reasons.
The ex-Crewe manager, 39, made his name in the academy chief role at Crewe where he nurtured a whole string of top talent including Danny Murphy , Rob Hulse and current Potters target Dean Ashton. He is regarded as one of the very best people to have involved at youth team level in the country and the Potters were thrilled to have got him.
He started at the end of last season by releasing a whole hosts of youngsters and set about recruiting top prospects as the club signed 5 players over the summer who are highly regarded and a rebeing tipped for the top including ex-Crewe pair Ben Marshall and Matthew Lund, who turned down contracts at Crewe before contacting Holland about signing for the Potters.
His departure will be a massive blow so soon after his arrival and the Potters will hope that they can recruit another top level director to take his place and keep the good work he has started going.