Martinez departs Wigan and heads straight into talks with Everton

 

FA Cup-winning manager Roberto Martinez has confirmed that he'll leave relegated Wigan Athletic and is now expected to take over at Goodison Park...

 

Just two and a half weeks after lifting the FA Cup with Wigan, Roberto Martinez has confirmed he will be leaving the club following their relegation from the Premier League. He is widely expected to join up with Everton to replace the outgoing David Moyes, in a move that is currently trading at 1.35 on Betfair.

 

Martinez, who took over as Wigan boss in the summer of 2009, had another year left on his contract but was widely expected to leave after his team were relegated following a defeat at Arsenal in the penultimate game of the season. Chairman and owner Dave Whelan had publicly stated he wouldn't stand in his manager's way should a bigger club come in and has been gushing in his praise for the man that delivered Wigan their first major trophy since they were founded in 1932.

 

If Martinez does indeed take the helm at Goodison Park he is expected to inherit a situation not wildly different from Wigan just on a slightly larger scale; Everton are well-known to have tight purse strings and Bill Kenwright failed recently to attract a new wealthy owner to the club who could fund the playing staff more generously as well as address the new stadium issue, something that has hamstrung Everton's ability to compete at the top end of English football. Martinez is fancied to follow in Moyes' footsteps and utilise his ability to sign competitive players at small prices in order to keep the Toffees at the level they're used to.

 

As reported on this site earlier this month, Martinez has previously traded as high as 8.0 for the job and now looks highly likely to be given a platform where he can regularly compete for European football and domestic trophies.

 

Elsewhere in the Premier League, Mark Hughes has emerged as favourite for the Stoke City job following Tony Pulis' departure. If you want to back him to take the hot seat at the Britannia Stadium then 1.37 is the current price. Hughes was last employed overseeing a disastrous period at Queens Park Rangers, in which the side failed to win any of their first 12 Premier League games. He was eventually replaced by Harry Redknapp who failed to keep QPR in the top flight.

 

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