Luton Town manager Nathan Jones admits he is flattered to be linked with a ‘wonderful Premier League club’ in Southampton and expects to speak to the Saints in the coming days, speaking to Sky Sports.
A 2-0 defeat away from home at Stoke City – the club where Jones endured perhaps his toughest time in management – was not the way the 49-year-old would have wanted to bow out, if Tuesday night in the Potteries was indeed to be his final battle in the Hatters’ hotseat.
But a disappointing end will not, or should not, distract from the remarkable job Jones has done over two spells at Kenilworth Road. They were 15th in League Two when he was appointed back in 2016. Should he grasp the opportunity to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl at St Mary’s, Jones will leave Luton looking up at the Premier League, having confounded all expectations by reaching the play-offs last season.
Southampton want Luton Town coach Nathan Jones to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl
“I don’t want to say that,” Jones said when asked if this was his last game in charge of Luton. “There’s a lot of things to do. But I am very flattered to be linked with a Premier League club and so on. So we will see what the next few days bring.
“I can’t ask for more from my players, if it is (my) last game or whatever. They gave absolutely everything, and they produce week-in, week-out for me.
“I’ve been given permission (to speak to Southampton). It’s flattering. And I’ll go and speak to them because it is a wonderful Premier League club and so on. But I’ve got a wonderful club here as well, and that can’t be forgotten either.”
Jones, a ‘brilliant’ man-manager and a coach with a proven track record in youth development, certainly ticks a lot of boxes for a Southampton side who lost their way towards the end of the Hasenhuttl era. His high-pressing, high-intensity style should also align quite neatly with the Saints’ blueprint.
‘Flattering’
“If I get any accolades (it’s down to the players). I’ve got a group of players who would die for me and that’s brilliant. Where we are, with the resources we have, that shows they’re a group,” Jones adds.
“It’s not the first opportunity I’ve had to speak to people, and I haven’t wanted to (before). This is slightly different because of the situation, and because of the club that it is. It will take something really, really special to take me away from that.”
According to 90Min, Southampton also considered former River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo and ex-Bayer Leverkusen boss Gerardo Seoane before settling on Jones.
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