TRANSFERS In their search for a new coach, Anderlecht had been in contact in recent days with Maarten Martens. The 41-year-old Martens is a youth product of Anderlecht and delivered good work at AZ in recent years, although he was sacked there two weeks ago. Martens joined Anderlecht as an eight-year-old in 1992. He made it into the first-team squad but never went further than a single substitute appearance.
In 2004 he moved to RKC in the Netherlands, where he developed rapidly and earned a transfer to AZ. He stayed there for eight years and experienced the club's golden era under Louis van Gaal. Around his thirties Martens began to struggle increasingly with injuries. After short spells at PAOK Saloniki and Cercle Brugge he retired from playing in 2015. After his playing career Martens started working as a youth coach at Club Brugge. In 2021 he returned to AZ to take charge of Jong AZ. He later became assistant coach of the first team and in January 2024 was promoted to head coach. As head coach Martens guided AZ to an attractive fourth place. The following season, last year, AZ reached the round of 16 in the Europa League. Martens won praise for his attacking football and was rewarded with a contract extension. This season has been tougher. AZ are stuck in mid-table. Despite a 6-0 cup win over Ajax, Martens was dismissed two weeks ago.
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