Nathan Jones has been announced as the new manager of Stoke City, signing a __ year contract after arriving from Luton Town.
Nathan Jones Announced as New Stoke City Manager
It was reported by Sky Sports News that Jones had a £1 million release clause in his Luton contract, which allowed Stoke to make a swift appointment after parting company with Gary Rowett on Tuesday afternoon.
Stoke confirmed through Twitter on Wednesday morning that they were in discussion with Jones about the vacant position and League One Luton followed up that statement shortly after with confirmation of their own that they had granted Jones permission to talk to Stoke.
Stoke City can confirm that the Club is in discussions with Nathan Jones over the vacant managerial position.#SCFC ?⚪️ pic.twitter.com/NwQXowZUu8
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) 9 January 2019
CLUB STATEMENT | We can confirm that we have granted permission to Stoke City to speak to Nathan Jones over their managerial vacancy. We will update supporters on any further developments in due course #COYH pic.twitter.com/3niTo96e1v
— Luton Town FC (@LutonTown) 9 January 2019
Jones’ Past
Nathan Jones’ only previous managerial spell before taking over at the Hatters, where he was once a player in the 1995/96 season, was as the caretaker of Brighton & Hove Albion following the resignation of Sami Hyypia in 2014.
He was appointed as Luton boss in January 2016 on a two-and-a-half-year deal with the club 18th in League Two at the time. He won 11 of his 21 matches that season to guide the Bedfordshire side to safety and to 11th.
The 2016/17 campaign was a much more successful one for Luton as they reached the semi-finals of the inaugural Checkatrade Trophy and qualified for the League Two play-offs in Jones’ first full season, having only spent one week of the season outside of the league’s top seven positions.
They were beaten 6-5 on aggregate by Blackpool in the play-off semi-finals but it signalled a huge step in the right direction for the club.
Their 2017/18 campaign started in stunning fashion as they thrashed Yeovil Town 8-2 on the opening day and they also heavily beat local rivals Stevenage and Cambridge 7-1 and 7-0 respectively.
Jones guided Luton to a second-place finish in League Two and they have started excellently on their return to League One as well.
Nathan Jones is the new manager of Stoke City, the Club are delighted to confirm.
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/MKrUKTByrq#SCFC ?⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ZAWuF2iNqN
— Stoke City FC (@stokecity) 9 January 2019
Up and Coming
The Hatters currently sit second in the table, five points behind leaders Portsmouth, and they were also in the hat for the fourth round draw of the FA Cup having held Sheffield Wednesday to a goalless draw in round three.
Jones leaves Luton in a solid position currently but there is a worry that they could slip down the table without their driving force at the helm.
For Stoke, though, it seems as though they are getting one of the most promising young managers in the business.
Main Photo