Burnley
Blackburn Rovers
Coventry City
Derby County
Leeds United
Luton Town
Middlesbrough
Millwall
Norwich City
Portsmouth
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield United
QPR
Cardiff City are still in the hunt for a new manager after Omer Riza was sacked in the final stages of the 2024/25 campaign, and their wait looks as though it will continue.
Aaron Ramsey took temporary charge of the Bluebirds before they were relegated to League One in what proved to be a nightmare year for the South Wales outfit.
However, in recent days a leading candidate has emerged to take charge at the Cardiff City Stadium, despite only leading Charlton Athletic to League One play-off glory at the end of May. Darren Witcoop has reported that Nathan Jones is Vincent Tan’s number one target this summer, but working a deal is proving tough.
With the transfer window now open, both the Addicks and Bluebirds will be looking for a resolution to this saga quickly, and it is not looking good for the third tier side.
- READ MORE – Paul Warne set to reunite with second Derby County favourite at MK Dons, there are more signings to come
Cardiff City are facing problems as they target Nathan Jones
Jones is readying for life back in the Championship following a 1-0 victory over Leyton Orient at Wembley just under two weeks ago.
Cardiff are in desperate need of an experienced head to take the club forward and recover, but for Charlton fans this has come at the worst possible time as they prepare for their second tier return.
EFL Analysis can now exclusively reveal the reasons why the Bluebirds are finding it tough to entice Jones back to Wales.
Our Chief Football Correspondent Graeme Bailey has said: “I’m told that Nathan Jones was offered the job by Cardiff, but issues have arisen due to the fact that his compensation has risen after Charlton’s promotion to the Championship.
“As it stands, though, Jones insists that he is staying with Charlton. Although I am not sure Cardiff have given up on the idea just yet.”
- READ MORE – Every Championship free agent this summer including Jamie Vardy, QPR’s key man, and £5.8m Blackburn star
Nathan Jones’ loyalty to Charlton Athletic is a blow to the Bluebirds
Charlton have gained a significant amount financially following promotion, and the challenge of the Championship excites Jones after taking a huge gamble by dropping into League One at the start of 2024.
Cardiff never truly recovered after a dismal start to last season, and despite a slight upturn in form under Riza after he replaced Erol Bulut at the start of the campaign, they suffered a slump in the final months and ultimately slipped down to the third tier.
Jones has shown that he can instil the character and performances needed to help a team win promotion out of that division. However, having done that job already with Charlton, it looks as though he wants to carry on with the Addicks on this journey, in what is set to be an outstanding Championship season in 2025/26.