Dave Whelan will not ban the manager from raiding his former club.
Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has revealed that if Roberto Martinez takes over at Everton then he is perfectly happy for him to bid on Latics players – at the right price.
Following Wigan’s relegation from the Premier League this season Martinez left his role as manager, strongly linking him with the vacant position with the Toffees.
Likewise several of the bigger names at the DW Stadium – including Callum McManaman and James McCarthy – have also been touted as leaving the club for the top flight.
Yet Whelan has revealed that despite not wishing to lose his better players if Martinez were to come in for the stars then he would not stand in anyone’s way.
“If Everton want to sign any of our players for the right amount of money we will consider it,” the chairman was quoted in the Guardian.
“There is no agreement [preventing Martinez returning for Wigan players]. It is unfair and I don’t believe in anything like that.”
It is not uncommon for clubs to demand that their former managers do not make bids on players at their previous sides – such as Brendan Rodgers when he moved from Swansea to Liverpool, although it didn’t stop Rodgers still signing Joe Allen from the Swans, albeit for an inflated £16.7m.
As well as McManaman and McCarthy it’s thought that Arouna Kone and Shaun Maloney would also be on their way out of the Lancashire club, having shown in 2012/13 that despite relegation they are too good for Championship football.
It’s thought that McCarthy would Martinez’s top target as the future over fellow central midfielder Marouane Fellaini at Everton grows increasingly uncertain, as the Belgian is thought to be linking up with David Moyes at Manchester United.
COMMENTS