Martinez committed to Wigan

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan insists Roberto Martinez is committed to the club after he opted not to consider the Liverpool position.

The Spaniard had been linked with a switch to Anfield following Kenny Dalglish’s sacking, with Liverpool’s owners impressed after the 38-year-old guided Wigan to English Premier League safety for a second straight season.

Martinez rejected Liverpool due to a new management structure the club plans to implement, with Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers set to be named their new boss.

Despite the speculation surrounding Martinez in recent weeks, including over a potential switch to Aston Villa, Whelan is confident his manager is focused on Wigan.

“Roberto is staying with us and I’ve agreed to his request to up our spending on youth development and training facilities,” Whelan told ESPN.

“That’s going to be pretty costly as I have agreed to a full-sized indoor pitch – and that will cost 1.5million pounds.

“Roberto’s very keen on that aspect of the club. I have also agreed with him to bring in three or four new players.”

Martinez was the favourite to take over at Liverpool after meeting with the club’s owners last week.

According to Whelan, Martinez chose not to discuss the job any further after being unimpressed with the management structure.

“They set down their rules on how they saw the role and the way they wanted the team run and that was not the way Roberto would do it,” Whelan said.

“Roberto has his own way of doing things but they are American owners who have their own ideas of how it should be done.

“They are entitled to want to do it their way and Liverpool are a big club so I can see why Brendan Rodgers has opted to go there – and good luck to him, he’s a fine coach.”