Rutten spent four years as an assistant coach at Richmond and played 229 games for Adelaide between 2003 and 2014.

“Ben is a quality person and coach who will complement our current coaching structure,” GM of Football, Dan Richardson said.

“We are respectful that Ben’s focus is on Richmond’s upcoming finals campaign and as a result we will provide a further update once these commitments are complete.

“We look forward to welcoming Ben, Kylie, and boys Jack and Bernie to Essendon.”

Tigers management paid tribute to his contribution to the club since joining four years ago.

“Ben has made a wonderful contribution to our coaching group in his four seasons at our Club,” football general manager Neil Balme said.

“It’s unfortunate that he will leave Richmond at the end of our season, he has built great relationships with both coaches and players, and played an important role in our premiership success last year.”

“However, we’re thankful that Ben has let us know his intentions for the future, and he is focused and committed to his role at Richmond for the remainder of our season.”

“We thank Ben for his contribution to Richmond and wish him, his wife Kylie, and his children Jack and Bernie all the best next year.”