Big news breaking out of Goodison Park this morning, as former Wigan manager Roberto Martinez has signed a four-year deal to replace David Moyes in charge of English Premier League side Everton.
Martinez has been rumored to be the favorite for the vacancy on Merseyside for quite some time now, but with compensation agreed between the two clubs, Martinez met with Everton over the past few days and it hasn’t taken long to come to an agreement.
Everton confirmed the appointment of their new manager just a short while ago, with Martinez becoming the club’s 14th manager. The Spaniard will be unveiled later this afternoon in a press conference.
So was this the right choice for Everton?
Martinez was certainly the outstanding candidate for the position, given his masterstroke of keeping Wigan in the EPL for several seasons, playing attractive soccer and winning the FA Cup last season. However Martinez failed to keep Wigan in the English top-flight over the past campaign and the time was right to move on.
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Everton have a manger who is young, hungry to succeed and has plenty of respect within the game. Sound familiar? Moyes’ appointment was quite similar, however all his success at Preston had come in the lower leagues.
However the big question mark for me, is how can Martinez now handle the increased pressure and expectation levels from Everton’s loyal fans? A top-six finish last season was celebrated but many fans believe Everton belong in the top four and want Champions League soccer. Can Martinez deliver that? We will have to wait and see.
At Wigan there were no expectations at all. Staying in the EPL was like winning the title. Everton expects much more than that from Martinez.
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One thing is for sure, he already has a huge array of talented individuals at his disposal and the Spanish manager has shown incredible nous and creativity in the transfer market in his time in charge at Swansea City and Wigan. No doubt some of his former players at Wigan will move to Goodison Park, with Callum McManaman and James McCarthy already rumored to be following in Martinez’ footsteps.
Next up at Everton next season, attractive, attacking soccer. Martinez style.
