AZ suffered a 3-1 loss to lowly PEC Zwolle on Saturday, making it their fifth in the last seven Eredivisie games. The UEFA Conference League contestants have dropped to eighth in the league with a game in hand.
Just four days prior to Martens' firing, AZ beat Ajax 6-0 in a record-breaking defeat for the Amsterdam giants, qualifying the Alkmaar side for the quarterfinals of the Dutch Cup.
The Belgian former winger, who played 231 games for AZ during his 12-year playing career, joined the club as manager in January 2024 after the dismissal of Pascal Jansen. In his 103 games in charge, Martens recorded 54 wins and 27 losses, appearing in the UEFA Conference League twice.
"Of course, it is incredibly unfortunate, and I am extremely disappointed at the moment," Martens said in a club statement. Martens' reign at AZ lasted exactly two years and one day.