Source: Telegraph
Wigan Athletic to name Swansea City's Roberto Martinez as their new manager
Wigan chairman Dave Whelan, on holiday in Italy, thrashed out a deal with Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins on Thursday after sanctioning Steve Bruce's departure for Sunderland earlier this week.
Martinez met Wigan chief executive Brenda Spencer for talks at the JJB Stadium on Thursday night and the 35-year-old Spaniard, who made 188 appearances for Wigan between 1995 and 2001, is expected to put pen to paper on a two-year rolling contract worth £500,000 a year on Friday.
Whelan said: "I think it will be a done deal. It's just a case of Roberto meeting our chief executive and getting the deal signed off.
"I think the chairman at Swansea has realised that football is a cruel game. Sometimes you don't want to lose a manager – I didn't want to lose Steve Bruce – but things move on.
"I am delighted, and I know the whole of Wigan will be excited to think we are getting one of the 'Three Amigos' back again."
Martinez arrived at Wigan from Real Zaragoza in 1995 with fellow Spaniards Isidro Diaz and Jesus Seba, before leaving for Motherwell six years later.
His impressive start to management at Swansea, who he guided to the League One title in 2007-08, prompted Celtic and Real Sociedad to request permission to speak to him about their managerial vacancies earlier this week.
But the lure of the Premier League and a return to Wigan has left the Lancashire club on the verge of securing his services and Whelan admits that he will hand Martinez the funds required to strengthen his squad at the JJB.
Whelan said: "I've watched his career and he produces players on the park who play football from back to front. I like what I've seen and I'm really excited we've got him back to Wigan.
"We have some money that is required to replace players and Roberto will be given the funds to sign the players that we need."
Brendan Rodgers succeeded Steve Coppell as manager of Reading yesterday, but only after he had claimed he was "100 per cent committed" to Watford, according to their chairman, Jimmy Russo.
Russo said last night that he had spoken to Rodgers last week and "he had assured me that he was 100 per cent committed to Watford and our plan for the future. But once he confirmed his desire to discuss the opportunity and Reading had met a contractual compensation figure, we were powerless to prevent him from doing so".
Rodgers, 36, who still lives in Reading after running the club's academy for nine years, will be charged with taking Reading back to the Premier League at the first attempt. The Berkshire club have agreed £500,000 in compensation with another £500,000 believed to be payable if they win promotion.
