It was feared, but Roberto Martinez will not step down as national coach after the European Championship. However the quarterfinals against Italy end tomorrow, the football association wants to continue with the 47-year-old Spaniard, who has been in charge since August 2016.
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Martinez’s contract will run until after the 2022 World Cup, which will take place in Qatar from November 21 to December 18 next year. However, there is a resignation clause in the agreement. When he was appointed five years ago, Martinez had planned to remain national coach for only two years, before returning to club football. It was therefore a surprise when he extended his contract in 2018, before the World Cup, and that he did so again last year. In May 2020, he was officially given the task of technical director, a position he has filled since the departure of Chris Van Puyvelde at the end of 2018, but also to justify his salary of around three million euros per year.
Vacancies at top clubs
With the resignation clause, there was always the threat that Martinez would leave. If a club came knocking with a lucrative and sporting interesting proposal, the national coach could resign at any time, subject to payment of a fee. Martinez, however, sets the bar high. A phenomenal offer from the Middle East was turned down despite some hefty increases.
Because this summer coaching positions at some top clubs became almost vacant (Barcelona) or completely (Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Juventus,…), it was feared that Martinez would also be knocked on the door.
Except at Tottenham, his name was never mentioned concretely. The London club last night introduced Nuno Espirito Danto as their new trainer – a man from super broker Jorge Mendes.
After Carlo Ancelotti left Everton, the club where Martinez coached for three years before coming to Belgium, his name circulated there again. But look: also yesterday Everton proposed ex-Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez.
Bond very satisfied
The football association is very satisfied with Martinez’s work and does not want his future to depend on the result at this European Championship. There are no plans to count him out in this tournament. The goal has not yet been reached with a quarter-final, but a strong performance was already delivered after the elimination of European champions Portugal. Moreover, there are still very positive voices from the player group about Martinez’s work and the association is pleased with how he is performing his job as technical director. He shows great commitment. Finally, his severance pay is not small.
The fact that he will continue to hold the post of national coach in the short term does not mean that Martinez will certainly still be in charge of the Red Devils at the 2022 World Cup. He has some dream clubs (Barcelona, Real,…) that can always come knocking if for one reason or another Ronald Koeman or Carlo Ancelotti is fired or resigns early. The top in the Premier League also appeals to the imagination. There is no question of that for the time being, so the football association and Martinez will continue together after the European Championship.
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