Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has revealed Aston Villa have not yet made an approach for manager Roberto Martinez.
Villa
sacked Alex McLeish on Monday after a disappointing season which saw
the club finish 16th in the Premier League, just two points above the
relegation places.
Martinez was contacted by Villa last season
before the appointment of McLeish as manager, and the Wigan boss has
again been strongly linked with the post following the Scot’s dismissal.
“We haven’t received any notification at all that Aston Villa want to talk to him about this job,” Whelan told Sky Sports News.
“I am not aware of any approach coming from Aston Villa or any other club.
“If
anybody approaches him, he will tell me because he knows that if I feel
the club is right, and he feels the club is right for him, I will let
him go and will back him to the hilt.
“Roberto and I have a
complete understanding where we trust each other implicitly. We have a
working relationship that is very upfront, open and honest.
“If anything comes up Roberto will see me and I will be the first to know.”
Whelan
insists he is aiming to keep Martinez at Wigan and has hailed the
38-year-old for his development during his three-year stint at the DW
Stadium.
“Last year I personally did not think that Roberto was ready to step up to the challenge,” Whelan said.
“I
believe he is still on the learning curve, but he is a very quick
learner, and he is going to go to a top club. That is for sure and I
will back him when the time comes.
“I would like to keep Roberto,
full stop, at Wigan, but that will be impossible because of how he has
revolutionised Wigan again this year.
“We have great plans going forward at Wigan, and he is still very much a part of that.”
