Hull City Interested in Roberto Martinez via Royal Blue Mersey
The former Everton boss is rumored to be the top candidate for the Tiger’s hot seat.
Former Everton boss Roberto Martinez is set to interview for the recently vacated manager job at Hull City according to the
Daily Express. Steve Bruce ended his four year tenure with the Tigers on July 22nd after becoming frustrated with the club’s lack of activity during the summer transfer window.
Though Bruce’s resignation was seen as a surprise last week, there was still uncertainty about his future at the club days earlier. Bruce was rumored to be a strong candidate to replace Roy Hodgeson as England manager. However the FA cleared that up when they announced that Sam Allardyce would be taking control of the floundering Three Lions.
Hull City will be back in the Premier League for the 2016-2017 season after finishing fourth in the Championship and beating Sheffield Wednesday 0:1 in the playoffs. It is believed that Bruce clashed with ownership over the club’s seeming unwillingness to bring in new players this summer. Not only does the squad need to be prepared for a higher level of competition, they have also experienced a serious run of injuries to key personnel. With the season just a couple of weeks away, the Tigers currently sit with twelve fit players. Any new manager brought in will need to immediately deal with the lack of depth.
Hull is likely in panic mode at the moment and looking for an available manager with experience in the top flight. As far as that goes, Roberto Martinez fits the bill. He managed Swansea in League One and the Championship before moving to Wigan for four seasons in the Premier League. At Wigan, Martinez oversaw the team that hoisted the 2013 FA Cup. That same squad was also suffered relegation to the Championship where they have stayed to this day.
Not to be banished to the lower leagues of the football pyramid, Everton swooped in and brought Martinez to Merseyside on June 5, 2013. The Spaniard experienced immediate success in his first season with the Toffees, finishing in 5th place in the Premier League and securing a spot in the following season’s Europa League. Martinez was given a five-year contract extension and an important player in the manager’s scheme, Romelu Lukaku, was brought in from Chelsea on a permanent basis.
Unfortunately for both Martinez and the Everton faithful, the 2013-2014 season turned out to be a flash in the pan. The Toffees finished both the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 campaigns at 11th place in the Premier League with 47 points. Although Everton did experience a level of success in cup competitions, making the semi-finals of both the League and FA Cups, Martinez was unable to escape the chopping block. Amid protests by supporters and rumors of discontent at the training ground, Everton decided to part ways with the manager on May 12th with one game remaining in the season.
Not one to sit around, Martinez spent part of his summer working as an analyst for ESPN’s coverage of Euro 2016. Martinez had previously had a well-received stint as an ESPN analyst in Rio for the 2014 World Cup.
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