GiveMeSport
·4 December 2022
GiveMeSport
·4 December 2022
Aston Villa star Emiliano Martinez has not been involved in a bust-up with Villa Park chief Unai Emery and there are no concerns over his long-term future, according to journalist Dean Jones.
Emery was appointed as the Midlands giants’ new head coach in October, but reports have emerged of the Spaniard potentially having a rift with the club’s first choice goalkeeper.
According to Football Insider, Martinez’s long-term future is up in the air thanks to friction between him and Emery.
The report suggests the Argentinian, who is currently at the World Cup, originally had a falling out with the Villa boss while they were at Arsenal and their indifferences remain.
Martinez made eight appearances under Emery while they were in north London, as per Transfermarkt, and his departure from his current employers would come as a surprise.
The 30-year-old still has more than four-and-a-half years to run on his contract, which is worth £100,000-per-week according to Salary Sport.
It has emerged – via Football Insider – that Emery is mulling over whether to seal a reunion with Sevilla shot-stopper Yassine Bounou and his arrival could raise further doubts over the role Martinez has to play at Villa.
Jones understands that there has not been a rift between Martinez and Emery and, as a result, a move away from Villa does not appear to be on the cards.
The transfer insider is confident that the custodian will be going nowhere during the January window.
Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “I’m told that there’s not a problem that anybody needs to worry about in this moment.
“I don’t think there’s any impact on Martinez’s immediate future.”
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Martinez has been on Villa’s books since he joined in a £20million switch two years ago, as per The Guardian, and there is no doubt that he has been reliable between the sticks.
According to Transfermarkt, he has started every Premier League fixture so far this season and even worn the captain’s armband on three occasions.
Sofascore statistics show Martinez has made 40 saves since the top flight campaign got underway, with him keeping out 69 per cent of the shots he has faced.
Villa may have gone into the break from domestic football sitting just five points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone, but the South American is clearly not someone who should be offloaded.
That is emphasised by the fact that, as per WhoScored, Martinez has been the club’s best performer this term thanks to racking up an average match rating of 6.88.