Cardiff City told to avoid an "expensive" Nathan Jones deal as pursuit of Charlton Athletic boss continues | OneFootball

The Bluebirds seem not to be ready to end their pursuit of the Charlton boss

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It's looking like Cardiff City are not yet ready to give up on their chase to bring in Welshman Nathan Jones from Charlton Athletic to be their new manager.

Reports had initially suggested that Jones was going nowhere, but a tweet from Darren Witcoop proved otherwise, leaving the future of the 52-year-old manager up in the air once again.

The news will excite the majority of Cardiff fans, as Jones' recent track record in League One and the connection he already has with the city make him a near-perfect fit for a club wanting to make their stay in the third tier as short as possible.

However, given the length remaining on his current Charlton contract, it's been reported that the Addicks would want around £1 million in compensation.

It's for that reason, plus an unconvincing managerial resume above League One level, that FLW's Cardiff City fan pundit, Matt Hall, holds the slightly unpopular opinion among Bluebird fans that the club should call it quits with their pursuit of Jones.

Cardiff should go for the "cheaper option," rather than Nathan Jones, according to fan pundit - it isn't all bad

Nobody likes to see their club move for a "cheaper option", no matter the situation, as it can imply a lack of ambition. However, Hall believes that bringing Jones in at this time would incur a great fee that the club simply doesn't need to pay.

"I'm not as big of a Nathan Jones advocate as most Cardiff fans, so maybe I'm coming at this from a different angle," he explained.

"But the compensation fee, which could be £1 million, that's just to get him out of his contract.

"You've then got his wages, which would have to be an upgrade on his current Charlton contract, and it would have to be a long-term deal too, and then we'd have to pay to bring his backroom staff over and pay for players to fit his ideology.

"All of a sudden, when you add all this up, it becomes quite an expensive move for Nathan Jones.

"It's a horrible phrase to say, going for 'the cheaper option' as it's something us Cardiff fans relate to as being a bad option, but there will be good options on our shortlist who will cost less."

Nathan Jones' Championship record questioned by fan pundit as Cardiff rumours resurface

Nathan Jones' record away from Luton Town has been shaky at best. Twice, he's left the Hatters for a more ambitious role, and twice it's not quite worked out for him.

This current run at Charlton Athletic is the first club outside of Luton that he's managed a full season in, and despite having a good Championship record at Kenilworth Road, even leading the club to a top-six finish in the 2021/22 season, his results elsewhere have Hall questioning whether he'd be a good fit for the club if they were to get promoted this upcoming campaign.

"Would he get us out of League One? Most likely, but when it comes to the Championship and the way that football evolves nowadays, I think his football and he as a manager have a ceiling," he said.

So, for the amount of money Cardiff would have to part with to bring him to the Cardiff City Stadium, would he truly be worth it?

Hall doesn't think so.