Roberto Martínez given permission to leave Wigan Athletic

Roberto Martínez has been given permission to leave Wigan and is now set to hold talks with Everton about succeeding David Moyes.

The 39-year-old led Wigan to their first FA Cup crown earlier this month but was unable to prevent the club suffering relegation from the Premier League.

The Spaniard, who joined Wigan from Swansea City in 2009, has been heavily linked with the vacant Everton post after Moyes agreed to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United this summer.

A Wigan statement read: “After discussions between Roberto and Chairman Dave Whelan, it was reluctantly agreed that Roberto, who remains the manager of Wigan Athletic, would be allowed to speak another club.”

Latics chairman Dave Whelan accepted the Spaniard’s decision on Tuesday during talks between the pair.

“He wanted permission to move so I’ve given that. He has 12 months left on his contract, so whoever comes in for him must pay the remainder of his contract,” Whelan said.

“He feels he’s not the man to lead us into the Premier League. I’ve got to accept what he feels. He loves Wigan and the fans. We have to move on now and want applications for the job.”

Whelan added: “I did tell Roberto before I spoke to him this morning that Everton chairman Bill Kenwright had rung me and on Friday and asked for permission to speak to him.

“If he decided to leave us, he is a must for Everton. He plays football from back to front and Everton like to play football from back to front. In my mind he is tailor made to manage Everton.”

Martínez made 229 appearances for Wigan as a player during a six-year spell at the club before becoming Latics boss in 2009.