With Emiliano Martinez committing his long-term future to Aston Villa, it’s another sign of the times for a club that is striving to get to the top.
As per the club’s tweet below, the 29-year-old has penned a new agreement that keeps him at Villa until 2027, opening a five-and-a-half year window to build and enjoy success at the club.
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The deal is important for various reasons, and it’s one that could have real significance moving forward as Villa look to continue to improve the current squad and compete at the highest level in the coming years.
Martinez extension clear indication of Villa ambition
Ultimately, for Villa to sell their vision to Martinez and for him to believe in it and put pen to paper on a deal that will see him spend his peak years at the club, speaks volumes in itself about where we’re heading.
The 29-year-old Argentina international has established himself as part of the foundation of our success moving forward, keeping 20 clean sheets in 58 appearances and becoming a firm fans’ favourite in a short period of time.
For a player that has enjoyed success at international level, there would have been no shortage of interest from other clubs in his services moving forward, and such is the quality that Martinez possesses, he would arguably have had his pick of the biggest of them if he wanted to move on.
Instead, he has shown through signing a new long-term deal that he believes Villa are on course to do something special, and he wants to be a part of it.
That in itself is huge for the current squad to see that and for Steven Gerrard to now build around Martinez, and ultimately players from outside the club will see that, take notice and be intrigued as to where Villa’s plans are going to take us in the next five years.
Combine that with the signing of Philippe Coutinho this month, albeit on an initial loan, Villa are making statements and putting building blocks in place to continue to progress and compete.
Martinez is going to be a fundamental part of that process not only with his quality on the pitch but with his profile and pull off it, and it’s crucial that he has committed himself to the club, to the project and to the ambition of the owners and staff as we look to kick on and make serious waves in the next year or two under Gerrard.
Aston Villa is pleased to announce that @EmiMartinezz1 has signed a contract extension until 2027! ✍️
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 21, 2022