ROBERTO Martinez insists he was 100 per cent right to remain with Wigan Athletic when Liverpool came calling in the summer.
And he aims to show the Anfield outfit what they missed out on when Latics travel to Merseyside this weekend.
Martinez was widely reported to have been Liverpool’s first choice to succeed Kenny Dalglish when the Scot vacated his position at the end of last season.
But after weeks of rumour and speculation - and an apparent meeting between Martinez and the Liverpool owners in the USA - the Spaniard committed his future to Wigan.
Brendan Rodgers, one of Martinez’s successors at Swansea, was then installed as Liverpool boss, where he has endured a mixed start.
And Martinez believes his decision to stay and continue his good work at the DW has been fully vindicated.
“With any job in football you’ve got the risk of losing, that’s the nature of the game,” Martinez admitted.
“What’s important is that you understand what you’ve got and you know how to improve it.
“Always have a plan - whether that’s for the next one, two, five years. One that benefits the football club.
“There is always a right time and a wrong time to leave a football club.”There were conversations with the chairman surrounding my position at Wigan, so it’s not like I had the final call.
“There were approaches, some more high profile than others, but it was the right time to do that in the summer.
“Right now we’re five months into the season so it’s the wrong time to look back.”
The Latics boss also reiterated his commitment to chairman Dave Whelan - who he says played a massive role in him staying put.
“I had the opportunity to pay the chairman’s loyalty back in the summer,” Martinez added.
“I spoke to a couple of clubs that have been documented - I also spoke with another three - but the moment the chairman told me he wanted to take Wigan Athletic to the next level, in terms of the infrastructure, the new training ground and keeping hold of certain players ... well he’s a very persuasive man.
“It was the right moment for us both to try and take the club to that next level, and everything was conducted in a very open way.
“Perhaps it was a little too open, but once the chairman had taken a week or two to think about things, he was as excited as I’ve ever seen him.
“He wanted to do everything we’d spoken about, and clearly he didn’t want me to leave.
“The chairman is a very special man - the support he has shown me has been quite unique.
“From my point of view, I needed to recognise that and pay some of it back.
“It just wasn’t the right time for me to leave Wigan for a multitude of reasons.”
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