According to The Athletic, Emiliano Martinez has been in a strange stalemate for the past two years, seemingly building hype for a transfer only to later publicly state that he hasn't.
As Aston Villa held a Europa League title-winning open-top bus parade in Birmingham, the 33-year-old goalkeeper picked up the microphone and insisted that everyone who said he was going to Manchester United was "wrong."
In fact, aside from himself, almost no one said he would definitely go there. That's why on transfer deadline last summer, he stayed at Aston Villa's Bodie Murheith training ground, waiting for a call about a transfer to Old Trafford, but that call never came.
Even though it was clear that Manchester United had turned their attention to Senne Lamenz, Martinez hadn't given up hope. Near the end of last season, Martinez repeatedly told his teammates and staff at the Bodi Mohrheath training ground that he would be transferring to a top European club. This is why he shed tears while posing for photos with his family on the pitch after his final home game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Ultimately, neither Atletico Madrid nor Manchester United made a formal offer until Martinez returned to Birmingham for pre-season training; Villa only received a call inquiring about a loan deal at that time.
Aston Villa are willing to let Martinez go, provided they can find a suitable replacement. Just like the following year, Villa are looking for contingency plans in the transfer market and have impressed with Joan Garcia, Shevalier, Flecken, João Costa and Lamenz.
However, Manchester United's offer was quickly shelved. Aston Villa's asking price would exceed £30 million ($40 million), and Manchester United were unwilling to pay that amount.
Martinez eventually left the Bodi Murheis training ground, accepting reality and heading directly to the Argentine national team. In the two weeks that followed, both Villa and Martinez made efforts to repair their relationship, despite Martinez's previous strong desire to leave, which even led to his absence from the previous match against Crystal Palace. Before that game, when asked about Martinez's future, Villa manager Emery repeatedly only answered with the name of the Dutch goalkeeper the team signed from Brest that summer: "Bizzo, Bizzo, Bizzo."
All parties have temporarily suspended further discussions regarding his long-term future. In accordance with Emery's usual practice, Martinez was removed from his position as vice-captain, although no formal disciplinary action was taken.
Even now, Emery still considers Martinez to be the best goalkeeper in the world. This was evident in the celebrations in Istanbul, where Martinez, standing at the front, carried Emery on his shoulders to celebrate in front of the Villa fans.
After more than a year of maneuvering, Emery finally admitted that the goalkeeper had wanted to leave the team a year earlier, during a solo training session with Martinez.
On Thursday, Aston Villa and Chelsea reached an agreement for Martinez to join the West London club.
Sources close to the matter said all interviewees spoke anonymously to protect their relationships. They believe that despite Martinez's good season, his tendency to withdraw from matches before they start has raised concerns. Martinez has withdrawn from matches four times during warm-ups due to muscle problems.
Last season, Martinez did make some basic errors, sometimes deflecting saves that could have been easily made directly to opposing attackers, and he also seemed less confident in handling high balls than usual. However, in what was Villa's most successful season in several generations, he remained a key figure. This included the long pass to Sancho against Lille that helped Villa advance to the Europa League quarterfinals, and his brilliant, claw-like save in the first leg of the semifinals that helped the team contain Nottingham Forest.
While his self-awareness and flamboyant personality need to be managed, it is no coincidence that Martinez played his best football under Emery and Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, because both knew how to get him into form.
Aston Villa believe that although they missed the opportunity to sell the Argentine international at his peak value, his worth cannot be measured solely by the transfer fee; his presence in the squad is more important. Martinez fractured a finger on his right hand during warm-ups before the final against Freiburg, but unlike some other cases, he knew he had to play through the injury. Sources close to the player insist he did not need surgery in the summer and subsequently participated in all of Argentina's World Cup matches.
In many ways, this Europa League final was the highlight of Emery's first phase managing Aston Villa.
Just like a year ago, Martinez can still leave if the price is right. However, due to the positive impact of Bizo as the second-choice goalkeeper, Villa's anxiety about his departure is not as strong. A major overhaul of the goalkeeping department is not necessary. Bizo's consistent performance as a backup makes Villa more willing to choose a younger goalkeeper with room for growth.
Martinez still seems reluctant to move to the Saudi club, so the key question is whether the tentative interest from other European clubs will become more concrete. Juventus' involvement has made the situation more delicate.
During Martinez's time with Argentina at the World Cup, multiple sources became increasingly convinced he would stay. Juventus were only willing to make symbolic, incremental offers. Two sources close to the matter said that Juventus initially even hoped to sign him for free, but their offers only increased to low levels in the millions.
This was far from Aston Villa's expectations and received no positive response. Given Martinez's high salary, Juventus hoped to cover only his wages, but Villa demanded a higher transfer fee. For this top-flight Italian club and player, personal terms are never an issue.
Even by the end of June, Villa still believed Martinez would stay. Meanwhile, the club was developing contingency plans. Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford was one of the main candidates, having subsequently signed with Leeds United. Lens goalkeeper Robin Riese was also considered, but Villa favored Parma goalkeeper Aya Suzuki .
In July, Villa informed several intermediaries representing potential goalkeeper targets that the club was unlikely to make a move for the player they were representing.
The second transfer saga in two consecutive summers has something in common: Martinez wants to leave, but no buyer is willing to pay Villa's asking price.
"He's a goalkeeper who wants to change teams, and we're looking for competition," Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti explained to the Italian media outlet Gazzetta dello Sport.
Negotiations between Aston Villa and Juventus appear to have broken down, with both clubs' top officials now confident enough to speak publicly about the matter. Villa's Director of Football Operations, Damian Bidagani, told 365scores that Martinez will stay.
Bidagani said: "The goalkeeper's future is clear: he will stay with us, and we have no intention of letting him leave. The team needs his contributions and rich experience, and he is a very important member of our plans for next season."
When the possibility of a transfer seemed to have significantly diminished, the goalkeeper's agent quickly stated that they were happy to stay.
Martinez's chief agent, Gustavo Goni, publicly stated that his client is happy at Aston Villa, has not requested a departure, is excited about returning to the Champions League, and highly praised Villa co-owner Nasser Al-Sawiris.
However, the question is increasingly becoming whether it's now or later. The impression from some locker room observers is that Villa could and should have ended this annual summer tug-of-war.
Aston Villa had been monitoring Ayasu Suzuki for several summers. They maintained contact with Parma throughout the summer. The Japanese international was considered a versatile and highly promising goalkeeper who could quickly adapt to the Premier League. If Villa hadn't signed their top target at the time, they would have missed a window of opportunity and would have had to wait until next season to find a replacement for Martinez, and in Villa's view, none of those options were as good as Suzuki . Villa felt more confident because they sensed the 23-year-old had always preferred to join them, despite his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain progressing quite well.
With negotiations between Paris Saint-Germain and Aya Suzuki stalled, he can still transfer, which means Aston Villa will have to deal with the goalkeeper position issue now.
On Saturday, with Martinez scheduled to return to the team next Tuesday for preseason preparations, the pace quickened across all competitions. Aston Villa rekindled their interest in Ayasu Suzuki and were prepared to pay Parma €30 million plus up to €5 million in performance-related bonuses. By Sunday, the two clubs had reached an agreement, and Ayasu Suzuki signed a five-year contract.
This brought Juventus back to Martinez's negotiating table, with them offering €7 million plus €3 million in add-ons. While this is still below Aston Villa's asking price, the two sides are getting closer to reaching an agreement. Aya Suzuki traveled to Birmingham on Sunday afternoon to undergo a medical examination the following morning.
Shortly after the Japanese international's arrival, the Martinez-like saga took another turn. Despite having agreed on personal terms, Juventus withdrew from the race for Martinez and instead pursued Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario. Sources from both clubs stated that the key reason was Martinez's higher overall cost, including both his salary and the transfer fee Aston Villa were hoping for.
On Sunday evening, August 16, local time, The Athletic reported that the Juventus deal had fallen through, and Martinez subsequently reported to training as required, and two days later began his first day of preseason preparations.
Meanwhile, Villa insisted that his agreement with Aya Suzuki would not be affected and that he would become Emery's number one goalkeeper. The club would then work to help Martinez complete other transfers.
Because of his late return to the team and the fact that his future was no longer with Aston Villa, Martinez had been training alone. This situation lasted for a week, during which time his agent team began to recommend him to other clubs, one of which was Chelsea, who made it clear that they were willing to explore the possibility of a deal.
On Thursday evening, the two sides reached an agreement on a £7.5 million deal. Martinez will sign a two-year contract with a one-year extension option, ultimately leaving Aston Villa permanently.
When Martinez left, he was already the best goalkeeper of Aston Villa's generation, and perhaps the best goalkeeper in the Premier League era. Six years, 256 appearances, and immense individual and team achievements will ensure Martinez is remembered for a long time. After all, it was his unique personality and characteristics that made him a one-of-a-kind, outstanding goalkeeper.
