Roberto Martinez set for talks, or he might have even had them

Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan has confirmed that he has given us permission to speak to Roberto Martinez and on the face of things, this is all actually quite good, even if a little unimaginative.

Let me explain. First, it is good, because we are looking for a young manager with ambition, who will be respected in the game and has a cultured background - sound familiar?

It is however a little unimaginative. It is as if the secret plan really did exist and they've thought all the right things, but then decided to only look in the Premier League and doing that was always going to give you three or four names and not everyone was going to fit.

The worry is, what happens if after we've spoken to him, he says no. Just because we are a bigger club with the potential for bigger things, it doesn't mean he is going to move on. Dave Whelan summed it up best for me.

I have never let him down on anything and he has never let me down. I know I can never say never in football, but I would be very surprised if he is Aston Villa’s new manager.

What will be will be

But it is news, he is the right sort of manager, although I'm not nearly 75% convinced, the number is high enough for him to be given the chance and he might very well do well. His side nearly got relegated this season but they didn't and with a few better players and a bit of cash, you never know.

On the other, it could all go tits up and there was a reason why he nearly got his side relegated last season. If he joins, we will find out soon enough, talks are under way and it is confirmed.