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Wales Online
4 days ago
- Sport
- Wales Online
Nathan Jones signs new contract to end Cardiff City links as options now appear to point one way
Nathan Jones signs new contract to end Cardiff City links as options now appear to point one way Cardiff City's managerial search has now seen one man officially ruled out Charlton boss Nathan Jones (Image: Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images ) Nathan Jones has signed a new long-term contract with Charlton to end all links with Cardiff City. Jones, a boyhood Bluebirds fan, has been heavily linked with the vacant post at Cardiff City Stadium over the past 10 days but has now agreed fresh terms with the club he has just taken back up to the Championship. The 52-year-old's name was thrown into the mix following the Addicks' play-off final win but a move for the Rhondda-born man always looked complicated due to the Wembley win and the south London club's reluctance to let their manager leave. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here. Jones said in a statement on Friday morning: "I'm very proud and delighted. "I still had three years left but for the club to come to me and want to continue that journey meant a lot to me because it's a club that I love. "We've just taken one big step, but that's only one big step, we still have a long way to go to achieve our goals and I'm glad that I'll continue to work towards that." Article continues below Club chairman Gavin Carter said: "We have a really cohesive group forming at Charlton - from the players and coaching staff to the wider team behind the scenes and of course our supporters. "Nathan has been a key part of that unity and our success on the pitch this season means we are ahead of schedule in our long-term planning for the club. Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones (Image: Steven Paston/PA Wire. ) "Nathan understands the values of this club and shares our ambition for where we want to go. We're thrilled to have him on board for the long term.' Managing director James Rodwell added: "Nathan has done an incredible job since returning to the club last year. His leadership has been crucial in developing a culture and structure that has enabled us to progress. His vision, energy and commitment to the club are clear to see, and we're delighted he'll be leading us forward. "This long-term commitment enables us to plan, creates stability and allows us to develop a strategy that can only benefit the football club." Article continues below All roads at Cardiff now seem to lead to Aaron Ramsey taking up a position he held as interim for the final three games of the season on a full-time basis. Bookmakers have placed the 34-year-old as strong favourite for the role, ahead of the likes of Brian Barry-Murphy, Des Buckingham and Ian Evatt. Ramsey has one year to run on his playing contract and although handing a rookie the reins in a brutal division is a risk, he will no doubt have a galvanising effect on a fractured fanbase desperate for a return to successful ways.
Wales Online
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Wales Online
Tonight's Cardiff City news as manager search takes twist and contender would be 'really good' appointment
Tonight's Cardiff City news as manager search takes twist and contender would be 'really good' appointment The latest Bluebirds news from Cardiff City Stadium Nathan Jones, Head Coach of Charlton Athletic (Image: 2025 Getty Images ) Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Sunday, May 25. Jones gets Charlton promoted and vows to 'kick on' Cardiff City's search for a new manager seems to have taken another twist after Nathan Jones guided Charlton Athletic to Championship promotion and vowed to "kick on". It is thought that Jones, a passionate Welshman and boyhood Bluebirds fan, is a name in the mix to take over at Cardiff this summer following the sacking of Omer Riza. The club have whittled down a shortlist, conducted interviews and the board's recommendations are now with owner Vincent Tan, who will decide in the coming days. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community How high up that recommendation list Nathan Jones is only Tan will know, however one suspects that the Rhondda-born manager taking the Addicks up to the Championship would spell bad news for Cardiff. Credit to him, though, and it's a reason he is wanted by many City fans, the work he has done at The Valley has been superb and disproved a number of doubters following poor spells at Stoke City and Southampton. Article continues below "It's Euphoria," he told Sky Sports after the match. "We didn't play well today, we just defended really, really well, the principles we instilled. "To win a game here and keep a clean sheet, we are so, so happy, bit of relief, but euphoria and pride for the work they have done. You've seen the headers we've won, they've hardly had a chance on goal and that's just down to our defence. "I'm so proud of this club, this great club. I came here to build something, a gamble, dropping a division - two divisions, actually, because my last job was in the Premier League - and I knew we could build something. "It's the first step - now we kick on." Not only will Jones now have a nailed-on season in the second tier with the London club next year, but his financial package will doubtless reflect the leap up from League One, too. That could well price Cardiff out of the equation, with the manager, and his backroom staff, already having been tied to a lengthy contract. He added: "This is the best day of my football life. We will start the party now, have a couple of days, but we have to start the work again, because we are three weeks behind everyone else now. We have to start planning because now we have gone up a level, so now everything has to go up a level. "We have lined everything up and now we can execute certain stuff. We have planned in the background for certain eventualities, now we have to execute." Of course, optimistic Bluebirds fans who do want to see Jones at the helm in the Welsh capital will hope that his adoration for his boyhood club will still represent a strong enough lure for him. With an appointment likely in the coming days, one thing is for sure, they won't have long to wait. Evatt would be 'really good appointment' Ex-England midfielder Lee Hendrie has backed Ian Evatt for the Cardiff City manager's job. The former Bolton Wanderers manager has been right up near the top of the bookmakers' odds for some time and is in the mix of candidates to succeed Omer Riza at City. Speaking to Football League World, when asked if he thought Evatt would be a good appointment, the ex-Aston Villa star said: "I really think so. "Cardiff have to invest. They have to get that club back up and running. It's a lot like Birmingham City, if I'm being honest. They've really fluctuated down the bottom end of the table over seasons, and they've lost their identity." Speaking about Evatt's job at his previous club, he added: "What he did at Bolton sometimes goes unnoticed. "They had no money whatsoever. He worked on limited budgets, bringing in free transfers, and really pushed the club forward. If you don't get promoted, people think he should be doing better, but I think he did a really good job. "I think he would be brilliant for Cardiff City. Ian Evatt would be a really, really good appointment for them. "They've lost the football club a little bit, and they need stability. Evatt's shown he can bring that. For a club like Cardiff, that's exactly what they need." Brian Barry-Murphy now tops the odds Brian Barry-Murphy has shot up the bookmakers' odds list to lead the list of names to take over at Cardiff. We are now in the endgame, with interviews for the job having concluded and with Vincent Tan having received his recommendations from the board, which, we understand, is thought to comprise of three names. And now former Manchester City academy chief Barry-Murphy, is currently the top-listed candidate to take the job this summer, with the 46-year-old currently on the coaching staff at Leicester City. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here. Barry-Murphy (1/1) now leads Des Buckingham (5/1), Aaron Ramsey (6/1), Ian Evatt (8/1), with Welshman Jones down at 25/1. Article continues below Cardiff City next manager odds Brian Barry Murphy 1/1 Des Buckingham 5/1 Aaron Ramsey 6/1 Ian Evatt 8/1 Liam Rosenior 14/1 Nathan Jones 25/1 Steven Gerrard 25/1 Michael Beale 25/1 Stephen Bradley 25/1 Ruben Selles 25/1 Tommy Elphick 25/1 Gary O'Neil 25/1 (Courtesy of 18+)
