The former Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Nathan Jones has taken over as manager of Southampton after Ralph Hasenhuttl was sacked.
Jones had been widely expected to take charge after the Saints sacked Hasenhuttl on Monday (7 November), making him the fifth Premier League boss to be dispensed with since the start of the season.
The club said: “Southampton is delighted to announce it has appointed Nathan Jones as its new men’s first-team manager.
“The 49-year-old joins from Luton, 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, who guided Luton Town to the Championship play-offs last season, said: “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.”
Hasenhuttl, who was appointed in December 2018, was sacked after Sunday’s 4-1 home defeat to Newcastle left them in the bottom three, with just one win in their past nine league games.
Jones joins from Luton, where he has had two spells in charge, winning promotion from League Two before becoming Stoke boss in 2019 where he did not enjoy the same success.
Jones returned to Kenilworth Road 18 months later and guided them to sixth in the Championship last season before they lost to Huddersfield in the play-off semi-finals.
He added: “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.”
Jones joined Brighton as a player from Southend United in 2000 and spent five years at the Withdean – scoring seven goals in 159 games – before joining Yeovil Town.
During his seven years with Yeovil, he started coaching. And, after a season working with the under-21s at Charlton Athletic, he returned to Brighton under Oscar Garcia – to the familiar fans’ refrain of “Nathan Jones, you’ve been gone too long!”
When Sami Hyypia left in December 2014, Jones briefly stood in as caretaker manager until Chris Hughton’s appointment – and he remained on the coaching staff until leaving for Luton in January 2016.
Asked in September about the vacancy at Brighton after Graham Potter’s departure for Chelsea, Jones said: “That’s pie in the sky.
“Graham Potter has done a wonderful job at Brighton. (He’s) got them into a (good) position. I’ve got a really good job here that I love.”
