Swans and Wigan 'miles apart' on Martinez

03 June 2009 10:10
Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins has claimed the Swans and Wigan are "miles apart" on the valuation of manager Roberto Martinez. [LNB] Late on Tuesday the Latics made an official approach to speak to Martinez, who returns from a short holiday on Wednesday, as they prepare for Steve Bruce's departure to Sunderland. [LNB] However, they were stunned by the ¦pound;2million-plus compensation being demanded to release the Swans boss, who only signed a five-year contract last year before guiding the club to eighth place in the Coca-Cola Championship. [LNB] That sum is considered far too high for a manager who has shown a lot of potential and won many plaudits for the work he has done at Swansea but has no Premier League experience. [LNB] But Jenkins is determined to get the best possible price for his manager if Martinez decides he wants to make the step up to the top flight. [LNB] "Wigan asked for permission to speak to Roberto. They asked what compensation we would be looking for and we talked about different figures," he told PA Sport. [LNB] "I told them what I valued Roberto at and they told me what they thought - we were miles apart to say the least. I have not given them permission to talk to Roberto." [LNB] Martinez, a former Wigan player, has also attracted interest from Celtic, Real Sociedad and Reading, with the deposed Scottish champions making their move for the 35-year-old last week. [LNB] The Spaniard has, however, distanced himself from comments attributed to him that claimed he would be interested in a move to Parkhead. [LNB] "No quotes from me are true because I have not spoken to the press," Martinez told the Western Mail.

Source: Eurosport