Grealish ‘mistake’ should act as warning to Martinez
EMI Martinez must avoid making the same mistake as Jack Grealish as rumours regarding the future of the Villa goalkeeper begin to swirl following his performances at the World Cup.
The 30-year-old has captured the attention of the footballing world after his dominant displays across Argentina’s success in Qatar. From penalty saves to viral celebrations, the man commonly known as “Dibu” is hot property as clubs across Europe start to circle ahead of the January transfer window.
Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and Juventus have all been credited with an interest, although after signing a new deal back in January, Villa will be hoping to keep Martinez among their ranks as new boss Unai Emery aims to mount a push for European football.
Sadly for Villa fans, a new contract does not necessarily mean the player is off limits. As seen with the £100 million Grealish to Manchester City transfer last year, which came just 12 months after the player signed a bumper new contract at the club paired with the statement: “My city. My club. My home. UTV.”
Although Grealish has secured a Premier League title since arriving at the Etihad, the move as a whole has not materialised in the way he would have imagined after departing his boyhood club.
With just seven goals to his name across 48 appearances, he has been used sparingly and his ambitions of solidifying himself within Gareth Southgate’s England plans fell short as he recorded only 87 minutes of action in Qatar.
The Grealish transfer should act as a clear warning to Martinez moving forward. The trophies will undoubtedly arrive if he does depart for one of Europe’s elite, but would they carry the same satisfaction of his international titles if he was just a bit-part player?
There is the risk of becoming just another cog in the “European Super League” machine if he did opt to pursue this path, whereas at Villa, Martinez has been given the platform to become the main man and in turn has gone on to thrive within the national team.
He has made it clear in the past how happy he is at the club. Speaking in January after penning his new deal, Martinez outlined how thankful he was after being given the opportunity to become the first-choice keeper in 2020.
“This is the club that helped me be a No.1. I play every single league game. I love everything about Aston Villa especially the fans.” And after signing his new contract, Martinez assured fans where he saw his future.
“When I signed for Aston Villa, obviously I had massive ambitions about being in Europe and being the best version of myself, and the club have opened a really good door for me.
“They made me a better goalkeeper, with the goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler, Christian (Purslow), Johan (Lange), they’re good people, very loyal and ambitious as well, like the owners.
“So winning a major tournament for Argentina, thank you to Aston Villa for developing me as a good goalkeeper; and I think actually I can improve much more here and I want to commit my future here. It feels like home.”
His happiness, connection with the fanbase and the financial power of owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, which means a sale will not be necessary, all point to the player remaining in claret and blue for the foreseeable future.
If Villa do end up selling Martinez, fans can find comfort knowing they will not be held ransom and will demand a figure – similar to the £100m for Grealish – that reflects both his market value and value to the club itself.
n FORMER Villa goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler has shared his pride after
Martinez became a World Cup winner.
Martinez, who joined Villa from Arsenal in 2020, worked closely with Cutler at Bodymoor Heath prior to the latter’s recent departure from the club.
Under Cutler’s tutelage, Martinez thrived and earned his spot as Argentina’s undisputed number one, managing to pick up two major international honours across just 26 caps for his country.
He had previously described the prospect of competing at a World Cup as a “dream” and certainly played his part in the final against France. Martinez rushed out to close down Randal Kolo Muani in the dying seconds of extra time before saving Kingsley Coman’s effort in the penalty shootout.
His display earned plenty of plaudits but it was the last-ditch save from Kolo Muani that caught Cutler’s attention.
He posted a picture of the crucial moment on Twitter and said: “What a guy!! So proud!! Champion of the world!!”
Alongside his World Cup winners’ medal Martinez also picked up the Golden Glove award for the best goalkeeper at the tournament.
He said: “It was a very complicated match, they came back to equalise in the game but it was our destiny to suffer. All that I have dreamed of has been achieved. I have no words for it. I was calm during the penalty shootout, and everything went as we wanted. I left very young for England. I dedicate this victory to all my family.”
Celebrations in his homeland will continue over the next few days and Villa will hold talks with Martinez over whether or not he will play in the Boxing Day game against Liverpool at Villa Park.
They will want to establish his state of mind before Unai Emery makes a decision on whether he will be in contention. Back-up keeper Robin Olsen will be eyeing an opportunity, if required.