Forget Martinez: Aston Villa's perfect next goalkeeper is obvious as ideal replacement tipped for exit
Emiliano Martinez remains the subject of rampant transfer speculation as January approaches
Aston Villa are believed to be preparing for a future without Emiliano Martinez in between the posts.
That’s according to a report from Football Insider, who claim that the West Midlands side are willing to listen to offers for their World Cup-winning goalkeeper in the upcoming January transfer window. It marks the latest chapter in a transfer saga which has dominated the news agenda since the end of last season when the club narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification.
Martinez was seen leaving the pitch in tears at the end of Aston Villa’s penultimate match against Tottenham last season, in what was the final home game of the campaign before his sending off away at Old Trafford in the season’s final showdown.
Villa’s PSR situation backed them into a corner where they were forced to cash in on a few assets, with Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United being one example. But many speculated that Martinez would join him amid rising speculation that the former Arsenal man was open to a move to Manchester United.
That dragged on all the way to deadline day and resulted in a bizarre interview from Unai Emery, who selected Marco Bizot for the third match of the campaign against Crystal Palace, but Martinez’s move to United never materialised with the Red Devils instead signing Senne Lammens, who himself had been the subject of interest from Villa.
What next for Emiliano Martinez?
Martinez has been the first choice goalkeeper for most of the campaign and is slowly showing signs of improvement after a challenging start to the campaign.
He denied Antoine Semenyo from the penalty spot during the team’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth and is expected to have a big role to play in the upcoming festive period where games come thick and fast.
However, warning signs of Martinez being phased out have been made apparent. For example in the Europa League against Israeli opponents Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Ezri Konsa was selected to take the captains armband in John McGinn’s absence, leading to Emery confirming in his post-match interview that a shakeup in the leadership team had taken place.
"The first captain is John McGinn," Unai Emery told Birmingham World at full time. "We decided how we are, as well as managing the next captain. Usually, we have another captain, Emi Martinez, as second captain. But now, after speaking with him, I prefer to get him back. Konsa is the next one. Tyrone Mings, with Ollie Watkins too. Normally, we are managing it like that."
Aston Villa's perfect next goalkeeper transfer is obvious
After expressing an interest in Lammens during the summer window, it seems inevitable that at some point in the near future Aston Villa will be in the market for a long-term No.1 that can provide stability between the posts for years to come.
Martinez has been brilliant for Villa in the last five years and ranks right up there with the side’s best goalkeepers of the Premier League era. However, it seems as if the transfer saga has caused unrest behind the scenes, based on Emery’s decision to strip him of a leadership role.
If Villa do cash in on Martinez, they’ll lose a top goalkeeper, but it’ll also present them with an opportunity to try and entice one of the world’s top young shot-stoppers to the club in James Trafford. Trafford, who was the subject of strong interest from Newcastle United, left Burnley for Manchester City over the summer and initially looked destined to inherit the No.1 jersey from Ederson.
He started City’s first game - a 4-0 win over Wolves and had little to do, before struggling in just his second and third matches against Tottenham and Brighton in defeats - notably making an error against the former which resulted directly in a goal.
City acted and signed a world-class shot-stopper in Gianlugi Donnarumma in the summer, leading to Trafford dropping down to substitute goalkeeper and only playing in the League Cup ties. Trafford is believed to be unsettled by this as he had hoped to stake a claim to make it into England’s squad for the upcoming World Cup.
Aged only 23, Trafford still has a massive future in the game and is perhaps in a similar position to where Martinez was when Villa first signed him. He was outstanding for Burnley last season - keeping 29 clean sheets in 46 games and conceding just 16 times at Championship level.
He broke the record for most consecutive clean sheets in second-tier history (12) and also saved both of the two penalties he faced as the Clarets won automatic promotion. Trafford also holds the record for being the first goalkeeper in history to win the European Championships at Under-21 level without conceding - notably saving a penalty against Abel Ruiz in the 2023 final. If available he could prove a very shrewd replacement for Martinez either in January or potentially further down the line.