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June 2013
Everton appoint Martinez
Everton appoint Martinez
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Everton have appointed Wigan Athletic boss Roberto Martinez as their new manager on a four-year contract. The 39-year-old Spaniard won the FA Cup at Wigan last season, but asked to leave the DW Stadium after failing to keep them in the Premier League. He succeeds David Moyes, who takes over from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United after 11 years at Goodison Park. Martinez made 180 appearances as a player for Wigan between 1995 and 2001 before returning as manager eight years later. Under him, Wigan finished 16th twice and in 15th place before slipping to relegation last season.
Wigan Athletic released an official statement which read: "Roberto's influence at the club, both as a player and manager, an association that spanned over a decade, will remain unforgettable to all Latics' fans. The club would like to place on record its appreciation for his tireless work during that time, culminating in FA Cup glory last month at Wembley Stadium."
In June 2011, Martinez was a target for Aston Villa but opted to stay at the DW Stadium before being strongly linked with the Liverpool job last summer. Martinez, who was hired by Wigan after taking Swansea City from League One to the Championship, announced last month that he would leave the Latics after four years at the helm. Whelan said on Monday that he had agreed a deal with his Everton counterpart Bill Kenwright to allow the under-contract Martinez to leave. The Spaniard takes charge of an Everton team which recently finished sixth in the Premier League; The Toffees having secured a top-eight finish in each of their last seven campaigns.
Following his appointment, Martinez said: "It is a really special day for me to join Everton Football Club, I am excited and honoured to come here and I would like to thank the Chairman and the board of directors for handing me this opportunity. I cannot wait to soak myself in all things Everton and become part of this Club. The move here came in a natural way. I had a phenomenal time at Wigan but it was the right time to move on. It felt right to join Everton. There is huge pressure after what David has done here. But I am proud of that pressure. What he has done has set a really high standard. I want to play a winning style of football. It is important the team doesn't lose what it did so well last season, only to keep improving.
Side note: Much of the OP has been copied directly from news articles which can be found online - I've slightly edited the text here and there so all credit goes to the original editors. Also, I disabled first window transfers in order to make it realistic in terms of squads until January. Thanks for reading and leave a thumps up/comment if you enjoy!
Wigan Athletic released an official statement which read: "Roberto's influence at the club, both as a player and manager, an association that spanned over a decade, will remain unforgettable to all Latics' fans. The club would like to place on record its appreciation for his tireless work during that time, culminating in FA Cup glory last month at Wembley Stadium."
In June 2011, Martinez was a target for Aston Villa but opted to stay at the DW Stadium before being strongly linked with the Liverpool job last summer. Martinez, who was hired by Wigan after taking Swansea City from League One to the Championship, announced last month that he would leave the Latics after four years at the helm. Whelan said on Monday that he had agreed a deal with his Everton counterpart Bill Kenwright to allow the under-contract Martinez to leave. The Spaniard takes charge of an Everton team which recently finished sixth in the Premier League; The Toffees having secured a top-eight finish in each of their last seven campaigns.
Following his appointment, Martinez said: "It is a really special day for me to join Everton Football Club, I am excited and honoured to come here and I would like to thank the Chairman and the board of directors for handing me this opportunity. I cannot wait to soak myself in all things Everton and become part of this Club. The move here came in a natural way. I had a phenomenal time at Wigan but it was the right time to move on. It felt right to join Everton. There is huge pressure after what David has done here. But I am proud of that pressure. What he has done has set a really high standard. I want to play a winning style of football. It is important the team doesn't lose what it did so well last season, only to keep improving.
Side note: Much of the OP has been copied directly from news articles which can be found online - I've slightly edited the text here and there so all credit goes to the original editors. Also, I disabled first window transfers in order to make it realistic in terms of squads until January. Thanks for reading and leave a thumps up/comment if you enjoy!
