We can confirm that Nathan Jones has left Luton Town to take over as manager at Sky Bet Championship club Stoke City.
The Hatters' Board received an approach from the Britannia Stadium outfit for permission to speak to Nathan yesterday.
The 45-year-old departs Kenilworth Road three days after his third anniversary of taking charge, having been appointed on January 6th 2016 as replacement for John Still.
Having lifted the team from 18th position in League Two after his first game to an 11th-place finish, the former Brighton coach steered his side to fourth-place in his first full season, losing in the play-off semi-finals to Blackpool.
The Hatters were also beaten in the last four of the Checkatrade Trophy by Oxford United, having knocked Championship giants Aston Villa out of the Carabao Cup earlier in the campaign.
Last season the Club went one better with automatic promotion, finishing runners-up to Accrington Stanley having been top of the table for much of the campaign.
He leaves the Town second in League One after a 13-game unbeaten run in which they have taken 33 points from a possible 39, winning ten and drawing three since their last defeat on October 13 at Barnsley.
The club’s sequence without defeat in league and FA Cup currently stands at 16 matches, having reached the third round of the latter for a third year in a row, with the opportunity to face holders Chelsea away in the fourth round if successful in next Tuesday’s replay at home to Sheffield Wednesday.
In total the Welshman was in charge of the Town for 170 matches – winning 87, drawing 46 and losing 37. His team earned a reputation for free-flowing, attacking football, scoring 301 times while conceding just 174.
In Football League matches, he has the best points per game ratio of any Hatters boss in history – his 1.820 per game from 139 matches in charge bettering Allan Brown’s 1.737 from 95 games. His win ratio of 51.1 per cent in Football League matches is also the best in the club’s history.
We wish Nathan every success in his future career and would like to thank him for his service and the passion he has shown for our Club. Further announcements on his replacement will be made in due course.
We all look forward to a mouth-watering game at third-placed Sunderland on Saturday to kick-off one of the biggest weeks in the Club’s history, with a famous night under the lights at Kenilworth Road in prospect on Tuesday, and the following day’s Council Development Control committee meeting for our new stadium at Power Court.
It’s a great time to be a Hatter, so business goes on as usual. COYH!