• Clubs agree compensation for backroom staff
• 'Always my No1 choice,' says Dave Whelan
Andy Hunter, guardian.co.uk, Monday 15 June 2009 23.08 BST
Roberto Martinez has accepted Wigan Athletic's offer to replace Steve Bruce as manager after the club finally agreed a compensation deal with Swansea City for his backroom staff.
"The club has always been close to my heart," he told the club's website. "I am looking forward to getting stuck in and taking on teams in the best league in the world. I cannot wait for my first game. It seems like a long time away but there is a lot of work to do before then."
Wigan's chairman, Dave Whelan, said: "Roberto was always my No1 choice. I have always liked him and taken notice of how he is getting on. What he has achieved at Swansea, getting them promoted and almost reaching the play-offs, is a remarkable achievement and shows to me he has the skills and quality we need to be a success here."
The Spaniard's appointment at the JJB Stadium was delayed at the 11th hour last week when the Swansea chairman, Huw Jenkins, demanded compensation for Graeme Jones and Kevin Reeves, two of the four backroom staff that Martinez intends to bring with him to Wigan, and refused to sign off the manager's departure.
After a weekend of negotiations between Jenkins and Whelan agreement was reached last night and Wigan have installed Martinez, who played for the club from 1995 to 2001, as manager on a three-year contract.
The Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole, meanwhile, has emerged as a target for Bruce at Sunderland.
• 'Always my No1 choice,' says Dave Whelan
Andy Hunter, guardian.co.uk, Monday 15 June 2009 23.08 BST
Roberto Martinez has accepted Wigan Athletic's offer to replace Steve Bruce as manager after the club finally agreed a compensation deal with Swansea City for his backroom staff.
"The club has always been close to my heart," he told the club's website. "I am looking forward to getting stuck in and taking on teams in the best league in the world. I cannot wait for my first game. It seems like a long time away but there is a lot of work to do before then."
Wigan's chairman, Dave Whelan, said: "Roberto was always my No1 choice. I have always liked him and taken notice of how he is getting on. What he has achieved at Swansea, getting them promoted and almost reaching the play-offs, is a remarkable achievement and shows to me he has the skills and quality we need to be a success here."
The Spaniard's appointment at the JJB Stadium was delayed at the 11th hour last week when the Swansea chairman, Huw Jenkins, demanded compensation for Graeme Jones and Kevin Reeves, two of the four backroom staff that Martinez intends to bring with him to Wigan, and refused to sign off the manager's departure.
After a weekend of negotiations between Jenkins and Whelan agreement was reached last night and Wigan have installed Martinez, who played for the club from 1995 to 2001, as manager on a three-year contract.
The Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole, meanwhile, has emerged as a target for Bruce at Sunderland.
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