Swans and Wigan 'miles apart' on Martinez - Sport in brief - Evening Standard
       

Swans and Wigan 'miles apart' on Martinez

Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins has claimed the Swans and Wigan are "miles apart" on the valuation of manager Roberto Martinez.

Late on Tuesday the Latics made an official approach to speak to Martinez, who returns from a short holiday on Wednesday, as they prepare for Steve Bruce's departure to Sunderland.

However, they were stunned by the £2million-plus compensation being demanded to release the Swans boss, who only signed a five-year contract last year before guiding the club to eighth place in the Coca-Cola Championship.

That sum is considered far too high for a manager who has shown a lot of potential and won many plaudits for the work he has done at Swansea but has no Premier League experience.

But Jenkins is determined to get the best possible price for his manager if Martinez decides he wants to make the step up to the top flight.

"Wigan asked for permission to speak to Roberto. They asked what compensation we would be looking for and we talked about different figures," he told PA Sport.

"I told them what I valued Roberto at and they told me what they thought - we were miles apart to say the least. I have not given them permission to talk to Roberto."

Martinez, a former Wigan player, has also attracted interest from Celtic, Real Sociedad and Reading, with the deposed Scottish champions making their move for the 35-year-old last week.

The Spaniard has, however, distanced himself from comments attributed to him that claimed he would be interested in a move to Parkhead.

"No quotes from me are true because I have not spoken to the press," Martinez told the Western Mail.

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