Adios, Martinez?
In the past, I took a very dim view of almost any player who left Aston Villa—unless they did it in a way that pleased me. And even then, it was still hard for me to forgive. I even wrote a “Scum Bag Villa Eleven” (which I never posted), including a manager, because I took it as a personal insult when they chose to leave.
But during the lockdown in 2020, and with the strange state of football at the time, my outlook on the game changed dramatically. These days, I’m a very different Villa fan—less fanatical, more easygoing in my views. And now, my fears seem to be confirmed: it’s adios, Martinez.
If you take the tears in Martinez’s eyes and the wave to the fans as a goodbye, then it’s a done deal—he’s gone. My goodness, this will be a colossal blow to Villa, the fans, and even our emerging status. He’ll be incredibly difficult to replace. Honestly, I think it’s impossible.
We signed Martinez from Arsenal, where he was their reserve goalkeeper. He’d shown glimpses of brilliance whenever he got a rare chance to play. But Villa’s scouting team saw something in him—we took a chance, and it paid off massively. He’s turned out to be one of the best goalkeepers of the last five years. He’s been nothing short of amazing.
So, what now? Well, I’m not putting him in my all-time Villa scum eleven—that’s for sure. But I can’t help feeling very disappointed. It’ll be a sad day if it’s true he’s leaving. I can’t help but think the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) have a big part to play in this.
So, if he does go, then I tip my hat to you, Martinez. UTV
If Martinez is to leave it will be a massive blow to Villa and a massive void to fill. I have watched Martinez grow from the keeper he was to the keeper he is now, he’s gone from being Arsenal’s reserve keeper to being the world’s number one keeper in five years playing at villa.
In Martinez we have got a leader with immense presence which gives the whole team an unbelievable belief that they can achieve anything with him in goal. If that was Martinez’s last game at Villa Park then there was no better way to sign off than having a clean sheet and adoration of the whole of Villa Park. The loss of Martinez will be colossal and he will be hard to replace, but I’m sure Monchi and Emery will have a plan in hand, but if I’m being honest I would still love to see him in Villa shirt next season but if not thank you Martinez for the past five years they have been truly amazing and I feel privileged to have watched you grow into the person you have become and the goal keeper you have become.
You will always be the Worlds number one to me and every other Villa fan in the world and no matter where you play next season you will always have Aston Villa in your heart and your are a Villa legend UTV forever Emi Martinez.
What a reply Lee. Fantastic tribute to our Emi.
Thank you. But how do you replace the irreplaceable