Celtic need a new full-time manager after Brendan Rodgers returned to the Premier League with Leicester City.
A decade ago, Roberto Martinez turned down the chance to take over at Celtic.
“I had conversations and I was always very impressed with the need to bring silverware,” the affable Spaniard told the Glasgow Evening Times last year.
“There was also the prospect of getting to the Champions League through the qualifying rounds and it was always a club that people are attracted to because of the intensity of the fans and what it means.”
In the end, Martinez snubbed the chance to take over at one of Britain’s most infamous clubs, instead taking charge of Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. But with Celtic now scouring the market for a new coach after the departure of Brendan Rodgers, is it time to look at the 45-year-old again?
Martinez would certainly tick a lot of boxes. He is a coach renowned for his free-flowing, attacking style of football, almost to a fault in truth. Spells at Wigan and Everton were exciting but always fraught with fears that disaster could strike at the other end.
But Martinez appears to have developed a useful pragmatic streak during his time in charge of the Belgian national team, famously outmanoeuvring Neymar’s Brazil in the quarter finals of the 2018 World Cup.
The 45-year-old, like Rodgers, is also famed for his ability to develop and improve attacking players, from Gerard Deulofeu to Romelu Lukaku. Just imagine the impact he could have on Odsonne Edouard, Kieran Tierney, Ryan Christie and co.
Martinez has a contract until 2020 so convincing him to leave his post in charge of Belgium could be easier said than done. But they should at least ask the question.
The prospect of managing in the Champions League for the first time should appeal, as should the prospect of adding a trophy or two onto his CV.
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