Wigan Athletic’s coach, Roberto Martinez
AFP
Liverpool were given permission by Wigan Athletic on Thursday to talk
to coach Roberto Martinez about becoming the next manager at Anfield, a
day after Kenny Dalglish was sacked.
"He's going there with an open mind," Wigan chairman Dave Whelan told Sky Sports News.
"We would love to keep Roberto, he's a great manager. But there are two
or three clubs looking for a new manager and Roberto is on the list for
all of them. If Liverpool are serious, then we may lose him."
The 38-year-old Martinez left Swansea City to take over at Wigan in
2009 and has been widely praised for keeping the modest Lancashire club
in the Premier League, reports AFP.
Wigan stayed in the top flight this season after wins over Liverpool,
Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United in their final eight
games helped them to a respectable 15th in the league -- seven points
clear of relegation.
Dalglish, who had returned for a second stint as manager at Anfield in
January last year, paid the price for a dismal season that saw Liverpool
finish 37 points behind champions Manchester City.
The Merseyside club's American owners the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) had
given Dalglish more than £100 million ($159m) to spend in the transfer
market since he took over from the sacked Roy Hodgson in 2011.
But expensive signings such as Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan
Henderson largely flopped and Liverpool's eighth-place finish was their
worst season-ending position for nearly two decades, with their lowest
points tally since 1954.
They defeated second-tier Cardiff City on penalties in the League Cup
final but lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup final earlier this month.
Earlier on Thursday, the 61-year-old Dalglish told the Liverpool Echo
that fans needed to show support to the club's American owners.
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