Emi Martinez completes his permanent move to Premier League club Aston Villa.
Just ahead of the Premier League opener the two clubs Arsenal and Aston Villa met to discuss the possible transfer of Martinez. Following this, the goalkeeper was left out of the Gunners’ matchday squad for their opening victory against Fulham.
This was a dead giveaway that Emi was on his way out of the club. The deal struck between the two English sides is said to be £16million, possibly rising to £20 million with the stopper signing a four-year contract.
"Aston Villa have signed goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Arsenal on a four-year deal.Sky Sports News reported on Saturday that the Gunners had accepted a £16m offer from Villa which could rise to £20m with add-ons. (Via: Sky Sports)"
Arsenal’s second choice and post-pandemic hero Emiliano Martinez decided he no longer can sit on the bench at the Emirates, playing backup to Bernd Leno. He was thrown in the deep end after Leno suffered a season-ending injury in a loss against Brighton back in June.
The player was a standout figure in between the sticks, showing he has the quality to be a top stopper in of the top sides in Europe.
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He helped the Gunners achieved all their success last season, literally playing a saving hand in their FA Cup and Community Sheild triumphs against Chelsea and Liverpool, respectively.
It appears the bigger problem wasn’t losing Leno to injury but getting him back and trying to figure out what to do with both players fit.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end but happily, when one door closes, another one opens and Villa’s new number 1 joins one of the most exciting projects for this Premier League campaign. They have already performed some big transfers this summer and are still in the market for more.
We'll take care of him. 💜@EmiMartinezz1 📸#WelcomeEmi
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 16, 2020
Emiliano’s nine clean sheets in 23 features will certainly upgrade a side who conceded the second-highest number of goals last season with 67 goals let in. Only Norwich City who got relegated conceded more with 75 goals.
As important as it was for Aston Villa to tie Jack Grealish down to a new five-year, long-term deal, so was the acquisition of Emiliano Martinez as their first-choice goalkeeper.
Following his arrival in Birmingham, Villa will soon announce the arrival of Lyon forward Bertrand Traore. Another excellent piece of business.