Emiliano Martinez: Aston Villa agree sale to Chelsea

Over the past two years, Emiliano Martinez has been in an odd hold-up — seemingly agitating for a move and then later making public declarations that he had done nothing of the sort.

When Aston Villa held their open-top bus parade in Birmingham following their Europa League triumph, the 33-year-old grabbed the microphone, asserting that everyone who said he was going to Manchester United “was wrong.”

In reality, few people said he definitely was going there, aside from himself, which is why he spent last summer’s transfer deadline day at Villa’s training ground, Bodymoor Heath, waiting for a call about a move to Old Trafford that never came.

Even when it became evident that United were instead pursuing Senne Lammens, Martinez had not lost hope. Towards the end of the previous season, Martinez had been telling teammates and staff around Bodymoor that he was moving to a top European club. It was why tears rolled down his face as he took photos with his family on the pitch following the final home match against Tottenham Hotspur.

In the end, no formal approach was made by Atletico Madrid or United until Martinez returned to Birmingham for pre-season, when Villa received a phone call enquiring about a loan proposal.

Villa were open to Martinez’s departure, provided they had a suitable replacement. Like they would do the next year, they scoured the market for contingency options and were impressed by Joan Garcia, Lucas Chevalier, Mark Flekken, Diogo Costa and Lammens.

Yet United’s offer was given short shrift. Villa would have demanded more than £30 million ($40 million), which United would have been reluctant to pay.

Martinez eventually left Bodymoor, accepting his fate, and went straight on international duty with Argentina. In this two-week window, to Villa and Martinez’s credit, they rebuilt bridges, overcoming the fact that Martinez was pushing so hard to leave that he did not play the previous match against Crystal Palace. When asked about Martinez’s future before that game, Villa manager Unai Emery repeatedly answered with the name of the Dutch goalkeeper they had signed that summer from Brest: “Marco Bizot, Marco Bizot, Marco Bizot.”

All parties parked further discussions over his long-term future. As is Emery’s way, there was no formal disciplinary action but Martinez was stripped of the vice-captaincy.

Even now, Emery believes Martinez is the best goalkeeper in the world. This was crystallised by the jubilant scenes in Istanbul. Martinez, at the front, hoisted Emery onto his shoulders, celebrating in front of Villa supporters.

Emery, having played it cutely for over a year, finally admitted — as Martinez trained on his own — that the goalkeeper wanted to leave a year earlier.

On Thursday, Villa agreed a deal with Chelsea for Martinez to join the west London club.

Key Points

• Player: Emiliano Martinez, 33, goalkeeper
• Previous club: Aston Villa
• New club: Chelsea
• Transfer saga: Spanned two years, with Martinez publicly denying exit rumors while privately pushing for a move
• Previous interest: Manchester United and Atletico Madrid made no formal offers until a late loan proposal that Villa rejected
• Villa’s valuation: More than £30 million ($40 million)
• Replacement search: Villa scouted Joan Garcia, Lucas Chevalier, Mark Flekken, Diogo Costa, and Senne Lammens
• Consequences: Martinez was stripped of the vice-captaincy but faced no formal disciplinary action

Sources close to the situation, who spoke anonymously to protect relationships, believed that while Martinez enjoyed a strong season, there was concern about late withdrawals before matches. On four occasions, Martinez pulled out of games during warm-ups.