Aston Villa’s goalkeeping succession is complete after Emiliano Martinez sealed his £7.5million move to Chelsea, leaving £30m summer signing Zion Suzuki as Unai Emery’s new first-choice goalkeeper.
Martinez departs Villa Park after six years at the club, bringing an end to one of the defining spells of his career.
Chelsea had already agreed a £7.5m permanent deal with Villa, with the Argentina international set to sign a two-year contract containing an option for a further season. Sky Sports reported the agreement after Chelsea accelerated their pursuit of Martinez.
The move now clears the path for Suzuki to take control of the position.
Zion Suzuki takes over from Emi Martinez at Aston Villa
Villa spent around £30m to sign Suzuki permanently from Parma earlier this month.
Emery subsequently made clear that the Japan international had been signed to play immediately rather than simply develop behind Martinez. The Villa boss also revealed Martinez had expressed a desire to pursue another challenge.
Martinez leaves after making more than 250 appearances for Villa following his arrival from Arsenal in 2020.
He became a major figure in Villa’s transformation, helping the club return to the Champions League and lift the Europa League under Emery.
Suzuki now inherits one of the most demanding positions in the squad.
At 23, Villa are backing him to become their long-term No.1 as Emery continues constructing a dramatically different team for the 2026/27 campaign.
