Southampton have announced that they have appointed Nathan Jones as their new manager on a deal until 2026.
The Welsh boss takes over the reins from Ralph Hasenhuttl, who was relieved from his duties on Monday following a 4-1 defeat at St Mary’s to Newcastle United. Jones inherits a Saints side that is low on confidence and positioned in the Premier League bottom three with just three wins from their first 14 matches.
Jones leaves Championship outfit Luton Town after two years in what was his second spell in charge of the Hatters, having first managed them between 2016-19. He will be joined on the south coast by his assistant Chris Cohen and first-team coach Alan Sheehan.
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Reacting to his appointment, Jones told the Southampton club website: “I’m really proud to be given this opportunity.
“I know a lot about the club from back in the days of The Dell, to coming here to St Mary’s, and it’s a wonderful football club.
“A lot of my family are Southampton fans, which doesn’t half help, and I feel really, really proud to be given the opportunity, and I’m really looking forward to getting started.
“Obviously, I wanted to manage in the Premier League, I’ve dreamt of that since I’ve become a coach or a manager, but this club in particular – because of how it’s run, because of the structure, because of how they look deeper than just results – really appeals to me.”
Last term he guided Luton into the play-offs where they were defeated in the semi-finals against Huddersfield Town. He was also named Championship Manager of the Year.
In his first stint at Kenilworth Road, the 49-year-old took the Hatters from League Two to the Championship in consecutive promotions. The Hatters finished runners-up in League Two in 2017-18 before storming to the League One title the following year. He departed Luton in January 2019 for a miserable spell with Stoke City, winning just six matches of his 38 in charge in the Championship before rejoining Luton in May 2020.
He departs the Championship side in ninth place and two points outside the play-off places after 20 matches.
