Aston Villa reportedly feel under no pressure to sell Emiliano Martinez this summer, as it’s also suggested that the club is expecting offers.
The 30-year-old has established himself as a fundamental figure for Villa since joining us in September 2020, making 96 appearances for the club across all competitions, conceding 131 goals while keeping 31 clean sheets.
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Having continued to play a pivotal role following Unai Emery’s appointment in October, Martinez is surely considered a pillar in the side that will be built around moving forward, but his stock undoubtedly rose after his World Cup success last year and that has led to speculation over his future.
The topic has been brought into the spotlight from his own comments last week, as although he insisted that he would love to win something with Villa and compete for the Champions League, he is aware that process is still a long one and seemingly left the door open to a possible exit.
“I’m still hungry, I want to win the Champions League,” he told France Football, as quoted by Ole. “Obviously, I would like to do it with Aston Villa, but it will be difficult because the club is still in its growth phase. I won the most beautiful title there is with the National Team and now I’m aiming for the biggest title at club level.
“I would like to win a title with Aston Villa. But it’s complicated… We were knocked out of the FA Cup in January. You should never lose hope. We’ll see what will happen. I have the feeling that today I have the level to play in the Champions League and try to win it.”
Now, according to the Daily Mail, Villa are expecting offers for Martinez in the summer transfer window, but it’s suggested that the club hierarchy feel as though we’re in a strong position to keep him and are under no pressure to sell if we feel as though that is the best decision for us.
That is arguably quite an obvious conclusion to draw in many ways, as ultimately Martinez is under contract until 2027, and so if we did open the door for an exit, Villa are certainly in a strong position to demand a hefty fee to green light a departure.
In turn, that could deter many clubs from making an offer, but a lot will surely come down to what Emery feels as though is the best decision for his plans moving forward and if the club are willing to approve of an exit if Martinez seeks one.
Ideally, given the contribution he has made thus far and how important he remains to us, keeping hold of him and building around a player of his quality to match his ambition and achieve our ultimate goals would be the best outcome.
However, if that’s not possible and it becomes apparent that Martinez is ready to seek a new challenge or a significant offer does come in that is perhaps to good to turn down, it’s vital we identify a replacement early, one that is ideal for Emery’s style, and in turn move swiftly to bring them in and move on.