Roberto Martinez in the frame for new job within weeks of Belgium departure

Originally posted on Football Espana | By Ruairidh Barlow | Last updated 12/30/22

Roberto Martinez has become something of a marmite figure in management for many, with the former Everton, Swansea and Wigan manager coming under scrutiny for his perceived underachievement with Belgium’s golden generation. He clearly still has admirers within Belgium though, with one of their biggest clubs considering him as a candidate for their vacancy.

Club Brugge sacked manager Carl Hoefkens on Wednesday. Despite their outstanding Champions League campaign, which led to them qualifying for the knockout stages for the first time in their history, Brugge have not been as impressive in the Jupiler Pro League. Currently they sit 12 points adrift of Genk in fourth place.

Club beëindigt samenwerking met Carl Hoefkens.

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— Club Brugge KV (@ClubBrugge) December 28, 2022

As per EFE (via Sport), Martinez is one of the favourites to take the job. It would see him work with former Barcelona and Espanyol forward Ferran Jutgla.

Martinez has a reputation for playing good football and did take Belgium to their best ever finish in the 2018 World Cup (third). He was also highly impressive with Swansea and Wigan beforehand, leading him to be linked to the job when Ronald Koeman was appointed. However his poor ending at Everton and Belgium work against him, as he vastly underperformed in the latter stages of both spells.

This article first appeared on Football Espana and was syndicated with permission.

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