Liverpool were given permission by Wigan Athletic on Thursday to talk to coach Roberto Martinez about becoming the next manager at Anfield, a day after Kenny Dalglish was sacked.
“He’s going there with an open mind,” Wigan chairman Dave Whelan told Sky Sports News. “We would love to keep Roberto, he’s a great manager, but there are two or three clubs looking for a new manager and Roberto is on the list for all of them. If Liverpool are serious, then we may lose him.”
The 38-year-old Martinez left Swansea City to take over at Wigan in 2009 and has been widely praised for keeping the modest Lancashire club in the Premier League.
Wigan stayed in the top flight this season after wins over Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United in their final eight games helped them to a respectable 15th in the league.
“When Liverpool phoned me I was actually with Roberto having a meeting on what we are doing next season,” Whelan said. “I did promise Roberto and I have always said when a big club comes he would have permission to talk to them, and they don’t come any bigger than Liverpool.”
Dalglish, who had returned for a second stint as manager at Anfield in January last year, paid the price for a dismal season that saw Liverpool finish 37 points behind champions Manchester City.
The Merseyside club’s US owners, Fenway Sports Group, had given Dalglish more than ￡100 million (US$159 million) to spend in the transfer market since he took over, but expensive signings such as Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson largely flopped and Liverpool’s eighth-place finish was their worst season-ending position for nearly two decades, with their lowest points tally since 1954.
They defeated Cardiff City in the League Cup final, but lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the FA Cup final earlier this month.
Dalglish voiced his gratitude to fans for their show of support following his dismissal.
In a message on Twitter, he wrote: “Overwhelmed by the support of the fans. Always been special, but even more so now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. YNWA [You’ll Never Walk Alone] and I never have.”
Earlier on Thursday, the 61-year-old told the Liverpool Echo that fans needed to show support to the club’s owners.
“Liverpool is still a great football club, still a club that should believe in whoever is going to come in after myself,” Dalglish told the Echo. “The supporters, not just for myself, but for everyone else, have always been fantastically supportive of the team and that should not change.”
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia yesterday advanced to the women’s doubles final at the Australian Open after defeating New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 in their semi-final. Hsieh has won nine Grand Slam doubles titles and has a shot at a 10th tomorrow, when the Latvian-Taiwanese duo are to play Taylor Townsend of the US and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the championship match at the A$96.5 million (US$61 million) outdoor hard court tournament at Melbourne Park. Townsend and Siniakova eliminated Russian pair Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva 6-7
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
FINAL WEEK LOOMS: PSG rose to 22nd place to set up another tense challenge against 24th-placed Stuttgart, while Man City require victory against Club Brugge Manchester City are on the brink of a humiliating UEFA Champions League exit after a stunning loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, while Real Madrid is no longer at risk after routing Salzburg. Man City blew a two-goal lead in a high-stakes clash of super-wealthy underachievers that PSG won 4-2 in Paris, who could still be eliminated alongside the English champions after the final round of games next week. Only the top 24 in the 36-team standings are to advance. Man City, the 2023 champions, are in 25th place, but could squeeze into the knockout playoffs round by beating Club Brugge. “We will
Things are somewhat out of control at the Australian Open this year, and that has only a little to do with the results on the courts. Yes, there were some upsets, including Madison Keys eliminating No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday. It also was the first time since 1990 that three teenagers beat top-10 men’s seeds at a Grand Slam tennis tournament. The loser of one of those matches, Daniil Medvedev, got fined US$76,000 for behaving badly. Last year’s women’s singles runner-up exited in the first round. However, the real fuss is happening elsewhere. The rowdy fans, for one
RSS