Belgium manager Roberto Martinez has responded to speculations that he is being targeted by Barcelona as a replacement for Ronald Koeman.
Speaking in an interview with Eurosport.Fr, as relayed by Sports Mole, Belgium national team manager Roberto Martinez has refused to be dragged into talks over him being linked with the Barcelona managerial job.
It is no secret at this point that Ronald Koeman’s job as the Barcelona head coach is hanging by the slimmest of threads. While he has never been able to win over the fans, the pressure has only ramped up in recent weeks, more so after the meek loss to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League last week.
Things only got worse after the 1-1 draw against Granada on Monday night, another sub-par display, at home, which was only saved by Ronald Araujo’s late equaliser. Ever since, rumours of a sack have been doing the rounds, with names of replacements also starting to do the rounds already.
Among the names that are being linked with the Barcelona job is that of Roberto Martinez. The Spaniard has been with the Belgium national team since 2016 and has worked wonders with the Red Devils, making them the No. 1 ranked team in the world.
? Barcelona are preparing to part ways with head coach Ronald Koeman, with Belgium boss Roberto Martinez the "preferred option" to replace the Dutchman. (Source: GOAL) pic.twitter.com/Lvaba8jR4K
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) September 22, 2021
Now being touted as the next manager of Barcelona, the former Everton and Wigan Athletic boss, Martinez has refused to comment on the speculations, insisting that all this is only normal in the game of football.
“As you can imagine, there is nothing, really nothing, for me to comment on. Obviously, there are always rumours, they are always there. This is normal in football. When you lose three matches, rumours say you are going to lose your job. When things are going well, when you have good results, there are also rumours. But there is nothing for me to comment on at this time,” he said.
Koeman and Barcelona will take on Cadiz in La Liga later tonight on Thursday. And anything less than a victory will only ramp up the pressure on the 58-year-old Dutchman as unrest continues to grow over his tenure at Camp Nou.
