Long-term deal puts Hughes in charge of Wales

Mark Hughes last night struck a deal with the Football Association of Wales that will clinch him the job as their new national team manager.

Mark Hughes last night struck a deal with the Football Association of Wales that will clinch him the job as their new national team manager.

The Southampton veteran, with his agent Dennis Roach, met key FAW councillors at a hotel in Shrewsbury to thrash out the terms of a four-and-a-half year contract. The first 18 months will be as part-time manager while he completes his Premiership career with the Saints. It was the third meeting between the parties, and after an hour of bargaining at the Lion Hotel in the border town Hughes shook hands on a deal.

The FAW cannot hope to match the near £20,000 a week that Hughes earns with Southampton, but both sides were determined the deal would be agreed. It will now go to the next FAW full council meeting at Llangollen on 16 December to be rubber-stamped.

Hughes has been given the go-ahead to assemble his backroom staff and find a new coach now that Chelsea have refused to allow Eddie Niedzwiecki to take the job. Niedzwiecki was Hughes' right-hand man for the final two European Championship qualifiers against Belarus and Switzerland recently.

It appears certain that Eric Harrison will be his assistant manager, while Jimmy Shoulder and Mark Bowen will take charge of the Under-21s.

"I'm just glad it has all been sorted out - it's a relief," said Hughes. "There has never been any suggestion that the job would interfere with my playing responsibilities with Southampton. I have not yet really considered who to approach as my new coach. I wanted to get my own job sorted out first."

The first task for Hughes will be to take charge of three friendlies in the new year as the build-up to next autumn's World Cup qualifying campaign. The draw takes place in Japan on 8 December, when Wales can expect to be given a tough group following their drop in the rankings after failing to qualify for Euro 2000.