Aston Villa fans were delighted to see the news this fternon that one of the world’s best goalkeepers has committee his long-term future with Aston Villa after signing a new contract until 2029.
Having proven himself as one of, if not THE, best goalkeepers in the world there have been rumours linking him with a move away to the likes of Manchester City. However, Martinez has put those rumours to bed by reaffirming his love for the club.
""When I started playing here I fell in love with the club, I fell in love with the fans. My kids were born here and you need to be where you are happy. Certainly, I'm happy here.""Emi Martinez
Emiliano Martinez signed for Aston Villa for a fee up to £20 million from Arsenal, at the time of his signing manager Dean Smith has this to say:
""We moved for Emi when we saw the opportunity, as it is rare to be able to buy a top-class goalkeeper who hasn't yet reached their peak age and who can therefore be a key player for our club for the long term.""Dean Smith - speaking in September 2020
His Villa career started in fantastic fashion with a penalty save in Villa's 1-0 win over Sheffield United. Since that day, Martinez has gone on to become the number one for his country winning the Copa America twice and World Cup. He has been a key part of the spine of the Villa team that has risen from a lower-half-of-the-table club to fourth place and the UEFA Champions League. Martinez has made 54 clean sheets in 160 appearances for Villa so far and it is now certain that there are many more to come in the next four years at the very least.
The news that Martinez has signed this deal comes as a significant warning to other clubs that Villa can now be considered as one of the 'big teams' and that their top players do not wish to leave. When you compare Martinez's stats to fellow Premier League goalkeepers, it is clear how important he is to Villa. The table below represents stats for the last season (2023-2024)
Save percentage | Clean Sheets | Pass completion | |
|---|---|---|---|
Emi Martinez | 66.43% (from 143 shots) | 8 | 82% |
David Raya | 66.18% (from 68 shots) | 16 | 70.58% |
Robert Sanchez | 67.95% (from 78 shots) | 3 | 79.3% |
Jordan Pickford | 70.48% (from 166 shots) | 13 | 58.79% |
Guglielmo Vicario | 63.91% (from 169 shots) | 7 | 82.8% |
With the way Aston Villa have transformed under Unai Emery's management, the goalkeeper has become an assential part of the team when in possession. Emi Martinez spends longer on the ball per match than any other goalkeeper in the league and his distrubtion needs to be world class. It is! Considering how often he has the ball during each game, his pass completion rate is very high and that makes him perfect for the team. His presence at the back also reassures those defenders in front of him and if you asked the likes of Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres if they would want anyone else behind them they would likely tell you no!
Martinez has previously spoken of his dream to play with Aston Villa in the Champions League which is soon going to become a reality. He also spoken of his desire to win a trophy with the club and he as well as the players, staff and fans will be hoping that becomes a reality also in the not-too-distant future.
Often referred to as Dibu, he will be hoping to again get the better of his former team this weekend as Villa host Arsenal in their first home game of the new season.
UTV