Roberto Martinez has held talks with technical director Nigel de Jong to become the new manager of the Netherlands. The Royal Dutch Football Association, known as the KNVB, turned to the 53-year-old Spaniard as their search for Ronald Koeman's successor continues, Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported.
The Dutch national team has been without a manager since Koeman resigned in June following a World Cup last-32 penalty shootout exit against Morocco. If appointed, Martinez would become the first foreign manager of the Netherlands in 48 years, since Austrian Ernst Happel led them to the 1978 World Cup final, where they lost 3-1 to Argentina.
De Telegraaf reported that Martinez is a close friend of Jordi Cruyff and supports the football philosophy of his late father, Johan Cruyff.
Previous international roles
Taking the Netherlands job would be Martinez's third role in international management after previously leading Belgium and Portugal. However, despite managing star-studded squads, both of those tenures ended in disappointment.
Martinez achieved a third-place finish with Belgium at the 2018 World Cup, but his team failed to advance past the group stage four years later. He then took charge of Portugal, winning the 2024-25 Nations League before losing 1-0 to eventual champions Spain in the last 16 of this summer's World Cup. Martinez resigned from his position with Portugal in July as criticism grew over his tactics and team selections.
Withdrawal of homegrown candidates
The KNVB turned its attention to Martinez after several Dutch coaches rejected the position. Former Liverpool manager Arne Slot was among those who turned down the job, preferring to remain in club football for now.
Slot left Liverpool at the end of last season and held initial talks regarding the national team vacancy before stepping aside. Media reports had suggested that the 47-year-old declined the position due to disputes over salary and contract length, but Slot issued a statement to Dutch publication Voetbal International to correct those claims.
"Over the past few weeks, and particularly the past few days, various reports have appeared regarding the vacancy at the Dutch national team, suggesting that I had withdrawn from the process after lengthy negotiations, including regarding salary and contract duration," Slot said. "That speculation is incorrect. We simply never reached that stage of the talks."
Slot explained that his immediate focus remains on day-to-day coaching at club level. "At this stage of my career, I prefer to see myself on the training pitch with my players every day," he said. "Something that is simply not possible in the same way with a national team. And why I chose not to continue the talks and not to start negotiations on what a possible contract might look like."
Slot added that he hopes to manage his country in the future. "It would be a great honor to represent my country as national coach one day," Slot said. "However, this was not the right moment for me."
