Roberto Martinez has agreed terms to take charge of Wigan, but the Spaniard is being prevented from taking the reins due to a wrangle over a compensation package.
The Spaniard emerged as Wigan’s preferred candidate to succeed Steve Bruce and The Latics were given permission to speak to Martinez last week.
Martinez expressed a willingness to return to his former club and terms have been agreed between the Spaniard and Wigan, but a spanner has been thrown into the works as Swansea’s compensation demands have not been met.
Wigan claim to have strived to contact Huw Jenkins, but have not been able to raise the Swansea chairman and are awaiting developments.
It would appear the stumbling block concerns compensation over two members of Swansea’s backroom staff that Martinez wants to take with him, but Wigan are confident it is just a minor delay.
“Roberto has agreed a contract with Wigan verbally, but he cannot sign that contract until Swansea City have signed the agreement between the two clubs for the compensation package,” said Wigan chief executive Brenda Spencer.
”It’s hugely frustrating as at no time over the last week have Swansea ever mentioned anything to us about the backroom staff.
”Roberto is disappointed. He knows Swansea did not want him to go and it’s just unfortunate the way it’s happened.
”We are going to have to liaise with Swansea City to get some compensation for the staff that Roberto wants to bring.
”We have an agreement for Roberto, so we just have to agree a package but unfortunately we can’t get hold of their chairman at the moment.
”Hopefully we will try and get something sorted out later today or tomorrow but certainly by early next week. We found out about this at 11am this morning but it is not something we felt we could not sort out.”