Roberto Martinez Poised to Begin Negotiations with Everton
Everton are not traditionally cited much during the summer transfer window. As with most clubs outside the elite in the Premier League, a combination of factors usually sees Everton just scraping to collect enough funds to purchase a few undiscovered players or secure some decent enough loan arrivals.
But, with the departure of manager David Moyes to Manchester United, things have at least temporarily shifted. The search for a new manager after 11 years of Moyes and preparation for the potential departure and influx of new players that comes with such a change has become a main storyline in England — one that could fill the entire pre-season until the league starts up again in August.
Already, there have been dozens of rumors regarding the potential arrival of Porto’s Vitor Pereira or the in-house promotions of Phil Neville or David Weir, which have split fans down the middle. Yet, it seems that the early favorite for the job at Goodison Park has plowed ahead in the running. Earlier today, Wigan Athletic’s charismatic (and controversial) chairmen Dave Whelan officially gave Roberto Martinez permission to speak to Everton after the manager made clear his desire to leave the relegated Latics if presented with an acceptable management offer.
If Everton chairman Bill Kenwright is able to negotiate terms with the 39-year-old Spaniard, and pay the £2 million required by Wigan to terminate his contract, Everton could have a new manager by the end of the week.
But, along with the excitement of receiving a manager that would come with the overtly-attacking philosophy that many of the club’s fans have been craving for seasons, there is the reality that Martinez has overseen one of the most successful, yet disappointing campaigns in a long time for Wigan. Despite their stunning 3-0 victory against the Toffees at Goodison Park, and the first major trophy in their history in the FA Cup, the club were relegated after a poor term that was bereft of the last-minute heroics that saved Wigan in each of the previous three seasons under Martinez.
Certainly, the manager would be walking into a far different situation at Everton. Although the club rarely have enough funds to make significant purchases in the transfer market, incoming television money and the gain of potential salary that would have gone to Moyes means that Martinez could have a decent amount to spend on transfers. And, there are a handful of players, including Callum McManaman and James McCarthy, that Evertonians might not hate to see arrive in a side lacking depth and attacking edge. That doesn’t take into the larger wage bill and quality of defenders already in the squad, for those who would criticize the Spaniard’s constant defensive struggles with Wigan.
The club already made significant news on Tuesday with the decision to reverse the implementation of the controversial new crest they announced last week after a petition by angry fans reached over 20,000 signatures. The Everton heirarchy are planning on utilizing fan opinion to come up with a new design for the 2014-15 season, as it had already reached an agreement with Nike and KitBag for this upcoming term. The news of Martinez’s arrival could continue a positive week for Everton as they prepare for the summer and look to keep supporters excited after a season that saw the side finish sixth, but outside of the European places.
