Aston Villa man delivers blow to Tottenham by ruling out summer transfer – ‘I love being here’ | OneFootball

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has insisted that he “loves” being at the club amid reports linking him with a move to Tottenham Hotspur.

The 30-year-old signed for Villa in 2020 from Arsenal for around £20m.

This move has been the making of Martinez as he has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League during his time at Aston Villa.

He also earned plaudits during last year’s World Cup as he helped Argentina win the tournament for the third time.

His form has led to reports linking him with a move away from Aston Villa. Tottenham are among the clubs reportedly interested in him.

Spurs are in the market for a new goalkeeper ahead of the summer as they are looking to identify a replacement for Hugo Lloris amid the Frenchman’s decline in form.

Tottenham may have to forget about signing Martinez, though. The ‘keeper has indicated that he is “loving his time” at Aston Villa.

“My career went through the roof since I joined the club. I’ve always said I’m grateful to this club and I love being here,” Martinez said (quotes via The Mirror).

“My family is happy at the club, my boy is obsessed with playing football and he plays for the under-6s in the academy. We’re loving our time here and hopefully, there are many years to come.”

Martinez earned his 33rd Aston Villa clean sheet over the weekend as they beat AFC Bournemouth 3-0. He has now surpassed the efforts of Brad Friedel and Mark Bosnich for the Villans.

The World Cup winner admitted that he would not have “slept for hours” had he conceded against the Cherries.

“If we had won 3-1, I would go home and not be able to sleep for hours because I always think about what I could have done better to keep the clean sheet. I’m very ambitious, I’m so driven to improve. I try to transmit that to the back four and to the starting XI.”

Ex-Spurs man Alan Hutton has previously warned his former club that Martinez may reject them due to his past affiliation with Arsenal.

“I think Martinez is an outstanding goalkeeper,” Hutton told Football Insider.

“They have still got to factor in the Arsenal link and how is he going to be with that? Some players would not go anywhere near it because of that.

“I know he was not a number one for Arsenal for a great length of time, but he was there for a long time. So would that be a factor? Maybe.

“I want to see him stay at Aston Villa but there is no getting away from the fact that he would be an outstanding signing.”