Premier League: New Everton boss targets top four finish

New Everton manager Roberto Martinez promised to lead the club to Champions League qualification, chairman Bill Kenwright says. The former Wigan boss has been given a four-year contract at Goodison Park. "When David Moyes first came to see me, he sat down 11 years ago and we were in a bad state, and he said 'we're not going down'," said Kenwright. "Roberto's first words were 'I'll get you in the Champions League'." The Spanish manager replaces David Moyes, who is taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson at champions Manchester United. During Moyes' reign the Toffees were unable to reach the group stage of Europe's top club competition. They did come close in 2005 when they finished fourth in the Premier League but were defeated by Villarreal in the Champions League qualifying round. Martinez says Everton needed "to keep building" on David Moyes' achievements. "The chairman has not put any pressure on me," he said. "It is simple to take this job, really. The fans need to know they are the most important part of this club, and I will need them. What David Moyes has done is set a real high standard. We need to make sure we are a winning side and a strong side, who can carry on achieving more. Finishing in the top six was a magnificent achievement, and we need to keep building if we want to improve on that." Martinez joined Wigan from Swansea in 2009 and he managed to win the FA Cup this season when Wigan defeated Manchester City, but asked to leave after failing to avoid relegation. When asked why he had chosen to leave Wigan now, Martinez answered: "It is simple: it came in a natural way. It has been a phenomenal time at Wigan but after four seasons this was the right time and I knew Everton was the right club. It has been a natural transition to be involved in such an exciting club." If you fancy Martinez to keep his promise right away you could be making quite a bit of money as Everton are 20/1 at Bet365 to finish in the Premier League top four next season.