Roberto Martinez has said that there was little risk of him moving to Aston Villa over the summer.
The Wigan Athletic manager held talks with the Midlands club in June as they sought a replacement for Gerard Houllier, who vacated his position for health reasons.
However, he opted to remain at the DW Stadium in order to fulfil his plans with club chairman Dave Whelan.
"I never wanted to leave any doubts. It was never a decision about moving to Aston Villa or another club," he said. "I am very privileged of being the manager of Wigan and working with the chairman we have. He is the best chairman in world football to work with.
"It was clear, we had a three-year plan and it was down to him whether he wanted me to carry on doing that or not. The moment he decided he wanted me here there was not a decision to make.
"It wasn't about the other club or another project, it was about my chairman and Wigan and there wasn't a decision to be made after that."
The Latics will travel to Villa Park tomorrow (Saturday), but Martinez believes that all parties will be more concerned on the teams' performance rather than his refusal to change clubs.
"Whatever happened in the summer was a long time ago and we feel the three points tomorrow are so important," he explained. "And I am sure Villa view it the same."
Wigan are currently 15th in the Premier League with five points, while Villa occupy eighth place with eight.
