The former Everton has added vast experience at international level and is linked with Celtic.
Celtic have been warned over the possible hiring of a former Everton manager, amid next manager uncertainty.
Martin O’Neill has picked up the pieces of both the end of Brendan Rodgers’ era and Wilfried Nancy’s calamitous tenure this term, but is only in situ as manager until the end of this season. Who leads the current Premiership champions long-term is still unknown but one man strongly linked is Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez, who previously bossed Everton at Premier League level.
He worked with Celtic assistant Shaun Maloney while working as Belgium’s head coach and that connection has been part of the reason for rumours suggesting Martinez could come into thinking. Alan Stubbs, a former Celtic and Everton defender who managed the Toffees U21 side when Martinez took over the senior gig in Merseyside, has a level of concern.
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Roberto Martinez to Celtic rumour verdict
David Moyes’ exit left defensive foundations that Stubbs felt Martinez built on well but those eroding gives him some thinking over whether he’d play a style of football Celtic fans would want. He said: “Roberto Martinez had one good season at Everton, where a lot of the fans will say the football was fantastic, and I think it was the overlap of when David Moyes left.
“He had the defensive stability of a David Moyes team, and he then added to that with the offensive side, and Everton were really good to watch that season. I think if you would have asked Everton fans about Roberto Martinez after that season, it would be very mixed.
“A lot of the football was a bit side to side, backwards, slow, monotonous – and I think a lot of Celtic fans will say ‘that was the case with Brendan Rodgers at times’, even though he has been so successful. It would be a great move for Roberto, I just don’t know if it would work out the way Celtic fans would want.
What has Shaun Maloney said about Roberto Martinez to Celtic
“I would certainly be cautious. Even though Roberto Martinez has had big jobs, he has not been very successful in them. You look at Belgium, probably the best group of players in the world at that time, the favourites to win the World Cup and European Championships, he didn’t get over the line.”
Maloney said previously on links to Celtic for Martinez: “I still speak to Roberto, but it’s mainly on how he’s preparing for his massive World Cup with Portugal. So nothing on that from my side.
“Actually, it’s so far away from what myself, Martin and the rest of the guys are thinking. I’m pretty sure the board are already starting to make plans for that. But for the rest of us, it’s like every three days there’s a game. We’ve just come out of a window. It’s definitely above my pay grade. No, I just concentrate to make the team better, help recruitment as much as I can and leave those big decisions to the key guys.”
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