Liverpool move for Wigan boss Martinez after sacking Dalglish
The Reds' owners made contact with the Spaniard through third
parties last week and he is hot favourite to take over as manager, with
Andre Villas-Boas the other major candidate
Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the Reds’ American
owners, made contact with Wigan boss Martinez last week through third
parties and sources have described the Spaniard as the hot favourite to
take over at Anfield after Dalglish was sacked on Wednesday.
As revealed by Goal.com in April, Martinez has already decided to leave Wigan this summer
and, despite Latics owner Dave Whelan denying that an official approach
has been made, Liverpool are now expected to make a formal move for the
38-year-old, who is also on Aston Villa’s shortlist.
Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is
also under consideration as John W Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner,
targets a younger and more progressive manager to mount a challenge for a
top-four finish next season.
Martinez guided the Latics to
safety in the Premier League this season following a stunning run of
form towards the end of the campaign that included victories over
Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle and the Reds themselves.
He
has been continually tipped by Whelan to manage at the highest level
and feels ready to make the next step in his career after turning down
the opportunity to take over at Villa a year ago.
Villas-Boas was
sacked by Chelsea in March but still has a reputation as one of the
most promising managers in Europe and is the leading candidate for the
vacant managerial position at Italian side Roma.
But Martinez is
in pole position to land one of the most prestigious jobs in English
football after Liverpool legend Dalglish following the club’s poor
performances in the league this season.
The Scot met the owners
in Boston earlier this week but could not save his job after 16 months
back at the helm, with FSG particularly frustrated with Liverpool’s
failure in the transfer market having spent £110 million on new players.
It is believed that Henry and chairman Tom Werner had been leaning
towards sacking Dalglish for several weeks and have been considering
potential replacements.
The Reds won the League Cup and reached the
FA Cup final, but could only finish eighth in the league, 37 points
behind champions Manchester City.
Dalglish was left in a
vulnerable position following the dismissal in April of director of
football Damien Comolli as FSG underwent a major restructuring of the
club.
“Results in the Premier League have been disappointing and
we believe to build on the progress that has already been made, we need
to make a change,” said Werner in a statement on Liverpool’s official
website.
"We are committed to delivering success for our
supporters and our ambition remains resolute to return this great Club
to the elite of England and Europe, where it belongs."
Source : Goal.com
