Wigan look to appease Roberto Martinez after Liverpool saga

 
31 May 2012

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan has pledged to do all he can to keep manager Roberto Martinez happy at the club.

A week ago it appeared the Latics owner would be looking for a new boss after the Spaniard held talks with Liverpool over the vacancy at Anfield.

That job has now been offered to Swansea's Brendan Rodgers but Martinez has rejected the advances of Aston Villa for the second successive summer as he wants to continue building at Wigan.

But it was only after a long meeting with Whelan yesterday that he got his way with a request for greater investment in facilities.

"We want Roberto to be happy at Wigan and we'll be aiming to make sure we do everything to help him," said Whelan, who has revealed a full-size indoor training pitch costing £1.5million was high on Martinez's list of priorities.

"We've discussed a lot of things and it was a productive afternoon. He's got two years left on his current contract and we will be looking to extend that.

"We've also agreed to build up the academy and the training facilities."

Whelan feared he would lose his highly-respected manager to Liverpool but admitted he had no such concerns when it came to Aston Villa.

"He has had some talks with Villa but he's not going to go there," he told Sky Sports. "Villa are a fantastic club with great fans, but I never thought they were big enough for him.

"I've said all along that I never thought he would end up there, and, fortunately for us, that's how it has turned out.

"If Roberto is to go anywhere, it will be to one of the top clubs in Europe. We're just so pleased that he's staying with us for another season."

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