‘Player loves Emery and Monchi’ - Aston Villa ready to pay £21m release clause for Arsenal target

Aston Villa are reportedly ready to proceed with a bid to sign Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia but face competition from several Premier League rivals.

The Villans are on the hunt for a new shot-stopper as Emiliano Martinez’s current backup, Robin Olsen, has agreed a summer transfer to Swedish top-tier club Malmö. Olsen has been Martinez’s number two since signing from AS Roma in January 2022 - initially on loan - but his contract expires this summer and he’s decided to move on to pastures new.

Australia international Joe Gauci has been enjoying a successful loan spell at League One club Barnsley since the turn of the year but Unai Emery wants a slightly more experienced alternative to come in and hit the ground running. Then there’s Filip Marschall, currently on loan at League Two side Crewe Alexandra and very much behind Gauci in the pecking order.

Villa’s recruitment team, led by Monchi, the president of football operations, has been drawing up a shortlist of potential Olsen replacements. The Villans are keen to sign somebody with a high enough ceiling that they could one day stake a claim to take Martinez’s place as the first-choice goalkeeper.

Garcia, who has emerged as one of La Liga’s brightest goalkeeping talents this season, could be the man to plug the gap for Villa. The 23-year-old has kept seven clean sheets in 32 La Liga matches this season, conceding 41 goals. That may not sound overly impressive, but Espanyol were only promoted back to the Spanish top tier last May.

Only Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon, Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois and Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak have maintained a better save percentage than Garcia this season. The Espanyol star has stopped 77.1 per cent of the shots he has faced, around one per cent fewer than Simon, Courtois and Oblak.

Spanish radio station Pericos Marca, local to Barcelona where Espanyol play, reports Villa have been tracking Garcia’s progress and hold a very strong interest. It’s claimed the player already loves Emery and Monchi - likely from their previous high-profile stints in Spain - and Villa would be willing to pay the €25 million (£21.2m) release clause to sign him.

Villa aren’t alone with their interest, however, as fellow Premier League clubs Arsenal and Manchester United have both been heavily linked with Garcia over the past few weeks. The goalkeeper would provide competition for David Raya at Arsenal, a team likely to challenge for the title next season, while Man Utd would probably offer a starting spot with Andre Onana seemingly set for the exit door.

How would Joan Garcia fit in at Aston Villa?

As Villa already have Martinez on the books, Garcia would struggle to immediately become the first-choice goalkeeper. But that day could come sooner rather than later if Martinez continues on his current downward trajectory, as the two-time Yashin Trophy winner has been severely out of form this season.

Yes, Martinez has still made some vital saves, but he’s let far too many errors creep into his game. Some have been very costly, too, with the Argentine unable to keep anywhere near as many clean sheets as he usually would.

That’s not to say that Martinez should be sold or axed, but maybe some stronger competition is now necessary to push him back to his best. Olsen was never realistically going to take over, especially as he too makes mistakes. The difference is someone like Garcia could, and the 23-year-old will only get better the more experience he gathers.