Nathan Jones has been appointed as Charlton Athletic’s new manager.
The Addicks have not revealed the length of his contract but described it as “long term”.
The 50-year-old, whose last managerial post was at Premier League level with Southampton, was at The Valley yesterday to watch the 1-0 defeat to Derby County.
Jones will meet the Charlton playing squad on Monday.
He said: “I am extremely excited by the challenge in front of me at Charlton. It is a club that I have fond memories of from my time here and I want to play my part in moving the club forward.
“I have been approached by a number of clubs to get back into management but I have been waiting for the right opportunity. From my conversations with the board and given the long-term nature of the contract, I can see there is a real appetite to build something here which I am really looking forward to being a part of.”
Jones was also interviewed for the vacancy at Millwall earlier this season and made the final shortlist of two, only to be pipped for the position by Joe Edwards.
Charlton Athletic v Derby County – SkyBet League One, The Valley, 03 February 2024
Picture : Keith Gillard
His first match in charge will be at Reading next weekend. Charlton have gone 12 matches without a win in the league and are just three points above the bottom four.
Jim Rodwell, the chairman of the Addicks board, said: “We’re really pleased to appoint Nathan Jones. He is a manager of real pedigree who has a track record of building successful teams over a period of time.
“We were really impressed with the quality of candidates interested in coming to Charlton. Through our initial research, the in-depth interview process and the references we took, Nathan was the clear stand out.
“He is a great fit for Charlton given his ability to get his teams playing football on the front foot, with a passion and an intensity. He is an excellent coach, who is tactically savvy and an outstanding developer of talent.
“The ownership group has a long-term focus of bringing success to Charlton Athletic and Nathan will play a key role as we look to take this club to the next level. Initially that will mean improving on our recent form and looking to finish the season as high up the League One table as possible.”
Curtis Fleming has been in interim charge following the dismissal last month of head coach Michael Appleton.
Asked yesterday if Jones’ appointment would help with preparing for next week’s crunch trip to the Royals, Fleming said: “Yeah, it gives stability to everybody. It gives stability to the club, the fans and the staff – as well as the players.
“It is good to know where you are going and what is happening.
“The good thing is you have got a free week, there is no midweek game, so it gives you a real opportunity to have four or five days of coaching.
“You can’t get everything in that you want in a week. But what you can do is start with your ideas. I think today will paint a good picture of the personnel and people he thinks he can work out – what he feels he needs to improve.
“The name of the club, the size and quality of the squad, doesn’t get you out. Nothing is a gimme in League One or the Championship. You need to galvanise the team and you need those workers and solid citizens that are going to get you the results.
“We know it is a big week ahead but there are going to be a few big weeks because Saturday is not going to be the be-all and end-all – this is going to go to the wire.”
MAIN PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD
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