From Luton to Premier League
This article was initially published on November 7 but has since been updated with new information.
Southampton have confirmed Nathan Jones as the club’s new first team manager after the former Luton Town boss agreed a three-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League side. The 49-year-old coach takes over the reins at St Mary’s less than a week after the club sacked Ralph Hasenhüttl.
“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,” said Jones in a statement on the Southampton website. “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.”
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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.”
The Jones Era
#WeMarchOn pic.twitter.com/IIwa9xmXWV— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) November 10, 2022
Jones’ enthusiasm will be welcomed by fans of the club, who have had to endure a difficult start to the season under the previous head coach. Despite Hasenhüttl’s best attempts to keep the club in the English top-flight, Southampton have struggled this time around and have picked up just 12 points from their first 14 games and sit dangerously close to relegation.
However, Jones’ desire to coach in the league may yet play a deciding factor in turning the club’s form around. “Obviously, I wanted to manage in the Premier League, I’ve dreamt of that since I’ve become a coach or a manager,” said the new Saints boss. “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.”
Stuck in a tricky situation – why things didn’t work out for Hasenhüttl
Although Hasenhüttl departs the Saints with a distinctly average record of just 1.26 points per game, the former Bundesliga tactician has had to oversee a huge turnover of players at the club each season and was considered to have one of the trickiest jobs in the Premier League over the past few season.
For example, since taking over at the club, Hasenhüttl had to contend with losing star players each season to bigger clubs in the Premier League. In the 2020/21 season, Tottenham Hotspur swooped for Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg, while their north London rivals Arsenal picked up Cédric Soares. And in the following season, the club lost Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard to league rivals with deeper pockets.
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Such was the extent of Southampton’s inability to hold on to key, senior players that the club seemingly changed direction entirely this season by opting for much younger players in the summer window, spending around €71 million on young talents like Gavin Bazunu, Sékou Mara, Roméo Lavia and Armel Bella-Kotchap. Now it will be up to Jones to make the most of the squad he’s inherited and steer them clear of relegation.
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