Aston Villa secured a crucial 2-0 win over Tottenham on Friday night in a boost for our Champions League qualification hopes, but Emiliano Martinez’s reaction after full-time has sparked exit concern.
The 32-year-old has been a pivotal presence for us since arriving in September 2020, going on to make 211 appearances for the club and firmly establishing himself as an influential figure in our ongoing progression in recent years.
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Having signed a contract extension last year to keep him with us until 2029, it had been hoped that he would spend a critical bulk of his career in a Villa shirt and continue to play a fundamental part in our pursuit of success.
While that may well still be the case beyond this season, the Argentine shot-stopper was emotional as he made his way off the pitch at Villa Park after our win over Spurs in our final home game of the campaign, and speculation over his future soon followed.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Martinez could have made his last appearance at Villa Park as there is a possibility of a move elsewhere this summer. He adds that clubs from Saudi Arabia have approached him in recent weeks, and so his emotional reaction may possibly have been a farewell to the Villa faithful.
Until something official is announced, that is merely a rumour. However, it certainly does raise concern that Martinez knows he faces an uncertain future at Villa, and that might have been his last time playing in front of the supporters at home.
Time will tell what happens at the end of the campaign as Villa are expected to have to make sacrifices in the form of sales to balance our books and keep ourselves within PSR parameters, and although he remains one of the most important individuals in the current squad for Unai Emery, he’s also one of the easier assets to sell for a big transfer fee.
Villa’s focus for now must be on Manchester United in our final Premier League game of the season as we will have to hope for favours elsewhere too, but if that is to be Martinez’s last game for us, he’ll undoubtedly remain as professional as ever in trying to help us achieve our one remaining major objective for this year.
🚨🇦🇷 Dibu Martínez, emotional at FT as this could be his last appearance at Aston Villa — not sure yet but a possibility ahead of summer window.
Understand Saudi Pro League clubs have approached Martínez in the recent weeks. 🇸🇦@tkenny46 📸 pic.twitter.com/8LC19JRPAE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 16, 2025