Southampton have confirmed that Nathan Jones has replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl as the club’s manager.
The Austrian was relieved of his duties on Monday following a dismal run of results, culminating in a 4-1 thrashing at home to Newcastle last weekend.
The Saints quickly entered discussions with Luton Town over the availability of Jones, and following talks with the Welshman on Wednesday, he was appointed swiftly appointed as manager.
“Southampton Football Club is delighted to announce it has appointed Nathan Jones as its new Men’s First Team Manager,” the club said in a statement.
“The 49-year-old joins from Luton Town, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract at St Mary’s, where he will also be joined by First Team Coaches Chris Cohen and Alan Sheehan.
“Jones takes over ahead of the Premier League trip to Liverpool this weekend, which will be followed by an extended period in which he can work with the squad during the World Cup break.
“The Welshman’s impressive progress in management has been monitored closely over recent years, and he brings with him a tremendous track record of building winning teams and developing players.
“Jones arrives at Southampton following the second of two extremely successful spells in charge of Luton, the most recent of which saw him take the club to the verge of the Premier League which also resulted in him being named Championship Manager of the Year.”
Jones spoke to Southampton’s club channels about the appointment, commenting: “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.”
Credit: 90min.com
