Chris Hughton ready for management return at Stoke with Nathan Jones on verge of being sacked
CHRIS HUGHTON is ready to speak to Stoke City – with Nathan Jones on the verge of being sacked.
Jones, 46, is expected to finally lose his job in the wake of Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat by relegation rivals Huddersfield.
The axe was due to fall yesterday. But while Jones survived the initial hours following the defeat, the Welshman is clinging on.
And he says that failing to win a game so far this season made a decision “inevitable”.
Stoke are now rock bottom of the Championship with just two points.
And sources close to Hughton say that he is happy for Stoke bosses to make contact with him once Jones’ nine-month reign is over.
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Former Newcastle, Norwich and Brighton manager Hughton is now odds-on to take over at the bet365 Stadium.
But ex-Stoke manager Tony Pulis is also in line for a return to the Potteries.
Hughton, 60, left Brighton at the end of last season after four and a half years – his longest stay in management.
He won promotion and kept Brighton in the Premier League for two seasons.
And despite silence from the Stoke hierarchy yesterday, there seems no way back for Jones.
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In a game which was effectively a must-win for the ex-Luton manager, his team failed to land a single shot on target against the Terriers and were caught on the break near the end.
There were boos at the final whistle and Jones appeared to be saying his goodbyes after speaking at the post-match press conference.
Potters chairman Peter Coates is also friends with Martin O’Neill who was sacked by Nottingham Forest this summer.