Martinez has continuously been praised for pulling the Latics out of relegation trouble in recent years and Whelan has stated that his work has not gone unnoticed.
"Roberto will be the manager of one of the top three clubs in Europe, I don't think there's any doubt about that," Whelan told reporters.
Martinez has previously managed Swansea City.
Restore Data
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
| C | Portsmouth | 45 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 76 | 41 | 35 | 94 |
| 2 | Derby CountyDerby | 45 | 27 | 8 | 10 | 76 | 37 | 39 | 89 |
| 3 | Bolton WanderersBolton | 45 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 83 | 48 | 35 | 86 |
| 4 | Peterborough UnitedPeterborough | 45 | 25 | 8 | 12 | 86 | 58 | 28 | 83 |
| 5 | Barnsley | 45 | 21 | 12 | 12 | 81 | 63 | 18 | 75 |
| 6 | Lincoln CityLincoln | 45 | 20 | 14 | 11 | 65 | 38 | 27 | 74 |
| 7 | Oxford UnitedOxford Utd | 45 | 21 | 11 | 13 | 77 | 55 | 22 | 74 |
| 8 | Blackpool | 45 | 21 | 10 | 14 | 63 | 45 | 18 | 73 |
| 9 | Stevenage | 45 | 18 | 14 | 13 | 55 | 45 | 10 | 68 |
| 10 | Wycombe WanderersWycombe | 45 | 16 | 14 | 15 | 59 | 55 | 4 | 62 |
| 11 | Leyton Orient | 45 | 17 | 11 | 17 | 50 | 54 | -4 | 62 |
| 12 | Exeter CityExeter | 45 | 17 | 10 | 18 | 45 | 59 | -14 | 61 |
| 13 | Wigan AthleticWigan | 45 | 19 | 10 | 16 | 61 | 56 | 5 | 59 |
| 14 | Northampton TownNorthampton | 45 | 17 | 8 | 20 | 56 | 65 | -9 | 59 |
| 15 | Bristol Rovers | 45 | 16 | 9 | 20 | 52 | 66 | -14 | 57 |
| 16 | Charlton AthleticCharlton | 45 | 11 | 20 | 14 | 64 | 64 | 0 | 53 |
| 17 | Reading | 45 | 15 | 11 | 19 | 65 | 68 | -3 | 50 |
| 18 | Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury | 45 | 13 | 9 | 23 | 34 | 64 | -30 | 48 |
| 19 | Cambridge UnitedCambridge | 45 | 12 | 11 | 22 | 39 | 61 | -22 | 47 |
| 20 | Burton Albion | 45 | 12 | 10 | 23 | 39 | 64 | -25 | 46 |
| 21 | Cheltenham TownCheltenham | 45 | 12 | 8 | 25 | 40 | 63 | -23 | 44 |
| R | Fleetwood TownFleetwood | 45 | 9 | 13 | 23 | 46 | 72 | -26 | 40 |
| R | Port Vale | 45 | 10 | 10 | 25 | 41 | 74 | -33 | 40 |
| R | Carlisle UnitedCarlisle | 45 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 41 | 79 | -38 | 30 |
| > League One Full Table | |||||||||
