Emiliano Martínez to Undisclosed
Emiliano Martínez · Outgoing transfer · Undisclosed
Verdict Delivered
This rumor DIED. It was dropped from the board after going quiet, last rated 50%.
State of play
| Move | Villa → Undisclosed |
| Outcome | Never happened |
| Rated at the end | 50% |
| Resolved | August 26th |
Martínez is “stuck in a holding pattern”, Jacob Tanswell wrote for The Athletic on August 25th: overseas opportunities explored, nothing more, with no destination reported. Talks over an exit opened on August 15th and Villa are letting him find a club (Tanswell, August 18th), with Zion Suzuki No. 1 since David Ornstein reported Juventus's move off on August 16th. Fee alone killed that deal (BBC Sport, August 17th): Juventus took Guglielmo Vicario on loan with a non-mandatory £8.6m option rather than the roughly £10m Villa wanted. Saudi Arabia's window runs to October 12th and Turkey's to September 4th, past the September 1st Premier League deadline; Football Insider floated Saudi Arabia on August 6th. Emery confirmed on August 21st that the 33-year-old, an Arsenal signing in September 2020, wants a new challenge; he missed the Brighton squad on August 23rd for a lack of match fitness.
Related
How the Story Moved
| Date | What changed | |
|---|---|---|
| August 6th | Tracked | Rumor opened on the board at 11% (linked) — source: Football Insider (sources), relayed by TEAMtalk (Ciaran McCarthy) and CaughtOffside. Villa would rather sell their goalkeeper than their centre-half. Football Insider reported on August 6th, citing sources, that the club are willing to lose Martínez this summer if that is what it takes to keep Ezri Konsa, with the Saudi Pro League named as his likeliest destination and Zion Suzuki among the goalkeepers on the replacement shortlist. TEAMtalk and CaughtOffside both picked it up the same morning, but the reporting traces back to that one outlet: no national title, and none of the reporters closest to Villa Park, has carried it. It sits awkwardly beside what the player's camp said a day earlier, when his agent Gustavo Goñi told Sky Sports News that Martínez is happy at Villa and has never asked to leave. No club has made an approach since Juventus walked away on August 2nd, so what is described here is Villa's willingness to sell rather than anybody's pursuit. |
| August 15th | Moved | Likelihood rose from 11% to 43% (talks). Villa's goalkeeper is negotiating his way out. Jacob Tanswell reported for The Athletic on August 15th that Emiliano Martinez is in talks to leave, that discussions over a move are progressing, and that Villa have stepped up their interest in Parma's Zion Suzuki as a direct consequence. Sky Sports News, through Luca Bendoni and Lyall Thomas, carried the same reading the same afternoon: the renewed Suzuki push puts Martinez's Villa Park future in fresh doubt. That is a clean break from the club's stated position. Villa's director of football operations Damian Vidagany told 365scores last month that the goalkeeper's future was settled, that he was staying, and that the club had no intention of letting him go this summer. Earlier in the window Villa rejected small, incremental offers from Juventus and told the representatives of prospective replacements that the Argentine would be staying, even though Martinez was keen on the move to Turin. No destination is settled in the current reporting. Juventus asked again about his situation on August 15th, tracked separately on this board, and Football Insider reported on August 6th that Villa were willing to sell the goalkeeper if that was what it took to keep Ezri Konsa, with the Saudi Pro League floated as the likeliest landing spot. Martinez, who turns 34 in September, has made 256 appearances since joining from Arsenal in September 2020 and played 32 of Villa's 38 league games last season. He is not due back from his four-week post-World Cup break until Monday, alongside Konsa and Ollie Watkins. |
| August 18th | Moved | Likelihood rose from 43% to 50% (talks). Jacob Tanswell corroborated on X at 8.04am UK time on August 18th that Villa are allowing Martínez to find a new club as part of a wider reshaping of the squad's spine alongside the Watkins and Konsa situations; no destination is named. BBC Sport reported on August 17th that sources in Italy told them fee was the only reason the Juventus move collapsed: there were no doubts over the fractured finger Martínez sustained in the Europa League final warm-up in May. Juventus turned instead to Tottenham's Guglielmo Vicario, on loan with a non-mandatory £8.6m option, cheaper than the roughly £10m Villa wanted for Martínez. The report added that Saudi Arabia's transfer window stays open until October 12th and Turkey's closes September 4th, both markets where the goalkeeper has drawn previous interest, against a Premier League deadline of September 1st. No destination has been reported. Villa now face finding him a different way out. David Ornstein and Jacob Tanswell reported on the evening of August 16th that the Juventus move, tracked in full on that club-specific entry on this board, is off, but both reporters said Suzuki becomes Villa's new No. 1 either way, with Villa now working to find Martínez a fresh move rather than assuming he stays. BirminghamLive's report the same evening was more equivocal, noting that even if Martínez does not depart at all this summer, Suzuki is still expected to displace him as first-choice goalkeeper. No new destination has been reported. The exit takes shape as a Juventus bid. David Ornstein and Jacob Tanswell both reported on the morning of August 16th that Juventus have lodged a fresh offer worth up to EUR 10m for Martínez, tracked in full on the Juventus-specific entry on this board; the general story of an exit from Villa Park stays exactly where The Athletic and Sky Sports News left it a day earlier — in talks, with the direction not yet settled beyond Juventus's renewed interest. The Guardian sharpened the direction at 6.53pm UK time on August 15th. Ben Fisher reported that Martinez is open to leaving after six seasons and is increasingly likely to depart during this window, that Villa are advancing the Suzuki deal to replace him, and that the Argentine is understood to be Villa's highest earner at a club fighting to comply with financial rules. Matt Maher reported in the Express & Star half an hour earlier that discussions over an exit from Villa Park are ongoing, with Juventus's renewed interest the backdrop. Villa's goalkeeper is negotiating his way out. Jacob Tanswell reported for The Athletic on August 15th that Emiliano Martinez is in talks to leave, that discussions over a move are progressing, and that Villa have stepped up their interest in Parma's Zion Suzuki as a direct consequence. Sky Sports News, through Luca Bendoni and Lyall Thomas, carried the same reading the same afternoon: the renewed Suzuki push puts Martinez's Villa Park future in fresh doubt. Jacob Tanswell added the history at 5.12pm UK time on August 15th. Villa wanted to keep Martinez and said so publicly, but the goalkeeper has wanted to leave for two years, and the club have been working on contingencies all summer, Robin Risser and Suzuki among them, with Villa believing Suzuki wanted to join from early on. That reframes the Parma approach as a contingency arriving on schedule rather than a change of plan made this afternoon. That is a clean break from the club's stated position. Villa's director of football operations Damian Vidagany told 365scores last month that the goalkeeper's future was settled, that he was staying, and that the club had no intention of letting him go this summer. Earlier in the window Villa rejected small, incremental offers from Juventus and told the representatives of prospective replacements that the Argentine would be staying, even though Martinez was keen on the move to Turin. No destination is settled in the current reporting. Juventus asked again about his situation on August 15th, tracked separately on this board, and Football Insider reported on August 6th that Villa were willing to sell the goalkeeper if that was what it took to keep Ezri Konsa, with the Saudi Pro League floated as the likeliest landing spot. Martinez, who turns 34 in September, has made 256 appearances since joining from Arsenal in September 2020 and played 32 of Villa's 38 league games last season. He is not due back from his four-week post-World Cup break until Monday, alongside Konsa and Ollie Watkins. One market has been closed off. Reports on August 17th, via AOL/Yahoo relaying Sky Sports News, said Chelsea have no interest in Martínez despite being offered the goalkeeper following the Juventus collapse; the west London club are settled on Robert Sánchez as their No. 1 with Mike Penders as back-up. It does not change the shape of the search, which has centred on Saudi Arabia and Turkey rather than the Premier League, but it rules out one name circulating since the Juventus deal fell through. |
| August 26th | Verdict | Rumor died — dropped from the board at 50% |
Timeline since the rumor joined the board.