Aston Villa could be heading for a disaster as one of their key players has been linked with a move away from the Midlands club.
According to a recent report from the Daily Mirror, Atletico Madrid could make a move for Villa goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, should they lose their current shot-stopper, Jan Oblak, in the near future.
Villa signed Martinez back in September 2020 from fellow Premier League side Arsenal in a deal worth £17m.
Since then, the Argentine has cemented himself as Villa’s number one goalkeeper by making 83 appearances across all competitions.
In those appearances, the 30-year-old has managed to keep 27 clean sheets along the way.
At the end of his debut season at Villa Park, Martinez managed to save 135 of the 177 shots he faced, leaving him with the second-highest save percentage in the entire division (76.8%).
This season has seen the former Arsenal figure feature in all seven of Villa’s league games and save 20 of the 29 shots he’s faced, leaving him with a higher save percentage (65.5%) than five other goalkeepers in the league that have also played in all seven matches.
His overall performances have earned Martinez an early season rating of 6.92/10 from WhoScored, making him the highest-rated player at the club.
The £47.5k-per-week shot-stopper has also received praise from Matty Cash who had this to say about him back in August after Villa beat Everton 2-1.
Cash said: “He’s unbelievable. One of the best goalkeepers in the world. To have him there is really good for us. He has made so many big saves for us.”
Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that it would be a disaster for Johan Lange and everyone else connected to the club if Villa saw Martinez make a move away from Steven Gerrard’s side anytime soon given how important he is to the team.
