Nathan Jones and Cardiff City situation lured Charlton Athletic into 'irresponsible' decision - opinion

Charlton Athletic’s chiefs will be patting themselves on the back after seemingly winning the war with Cardiff City over manager Nathan Jones, but did they really win? The Addicks saw their manager become the number one target for Cardiff City just weeks after they secured promotion back to the Championship via the play-offs.

Cardiff went in the other direction, suffering relegation to League One, and they finished the season with Aaron Ramsey as their interim boss after sacking Omer Riza - their second manager of the season - late in the campaign. The Bluebirds appeared to make a number of approaches but were met with stern resistance by Charlton, who could set their own price with Jones under contract for three years.

The Addicks weathered the storm and ultimately ended the conversation by giving Jones a new five-year deal, which improves his terms and adds two years to his existing deal. Speaking after signing the deal, Jones said: “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."

Addicks chairman Gavin Carter added: "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. 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.”

Finally, Charlton’s managing directorJames 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."

Charlton did not win

While the club chiefs will be happy with their work, feeling as though they won the battle with Cardiff, who were offering Jones the chance to manage his boyhood club, the Addicks have actually shot themselves in the foot.

It would be hugely surprising if this contract situation wasn’t sparked by Jones’ agent approaching the club and telling them to give their client a reason to reject his boyhood club. Contracts work on leverage, and Jones had plenty given Charlton did not want to lose their manager just weeks after promotion.

If that is the case, Jones is not the bad guy by any means. Clubs make ruthless decisions with managers all the time, so managers have to look out for their best interests and maximise their opportunities to up their earnings and land bigger contracts. This was one of those situations.

But by giving in - or by simply offering the contract as some sort of reward - Charlton have lost out. In reality, they didn’t need to give Jones a new contract. If he didn’t want to stay at the club and wanted to drop down a division, so be it. If he wanted to stay, then by all means reward the work of last season by offering him a pay rise, but for an EFL club to offer a five-year deal is ludicrous. Hardly any managers last five years in the EFL, and when they inevitably don’t, the club is on the hook to pay the remainder of the contract, making it an expensive sacking.

There was no need for Charlton to put themselves in this situation, and while Jones staying and signing a new deal may seem like a relief to fans, this is a financially irresponsible move from the club.

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