Emiliano Martinez agreed personal terms with Manchester United ahead of transfer deadline day but Ruben Amorim’s side opted to pursue an £18.2million deal for Senne Lammens instead
Emiliano Martinez’s family have spoken out after the Aston Villa goalkeeper missed out on a deadline day transfer to Manchester United. Martinez, 33, was a target for the Red Devils, who wanted to sign a new goalkeeper before the summer transfer window closed on Monday.
But United also had Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens on their radar, sparking an internal debate over which shot-stopper to pursue. Ultimately, Ruben Amorim’s side pressed on to reach an agreement with Antwerp and signed 23-year-old Lammens for an initial £18.2million plus £3.5million in add-ons.
That was despite Martinez agreeing personal terms with the Red Devils and waiting at Villa’s training ground on Monday for a call which never came. It’s also been reported that the former Arsenal star asked United defender and fellow Argentine Lisandro Martinez to vouch for him.
But Martinez, who missed Villa’s 3-0 loss at home to Crystal Palace in the lead-up to deadline day, remains in a part of Unai Emery’s squad and is under contract until 2029. The length of his deal and his reputation as a World Cup winner is why Villa Park chiefs would’ve demanded much more than what United paid for Lammens.
Martinez’s brother, Alejandro, and his father, Alberto, have now discussed the ‘dispute’ which led to the failed move. “I was told that Emi gave a lot as a professional and as a person, they love him, and you could see that on the pitch,” Alejandro told DSports Radio.
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“He is well-liked, and the directors didn’t want to sell him because he is the key player in the team, and another team wanted him. It was a commercial dispute.
“These are decisions made by club officials. It didn’t happen, but it’s like everything else in business. The sporting side of things was left out of it, and everything is fine.”
His brother also brushed off suggestions that Martinez had fallen out with Emery. “Emi never had an argument with Unai,” Alejandro continued. “It was all within the management’s control, and the clubs couldn’t agree.
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“At Aston Villa, he’s the Diego [Maradona] of Napoli. He gave a lot at Villa, like Kun [Aguero] did at [Manchester] City, like Leo [Messi] did at Barca. They’re legendary players, and it’s going to be hard to surpass what he did at Aston Villa.”
Dad Alberto added: “This is a job, this is a factory, and factories have employees. He’s just another employee, and the factory won’t let him go if he’s good. It’s all business. Tomorrow it will happen, today it didn’t happen.”
Martinez is now with the Argentina squad, playing keeping a clean sheet in Thursday’s 3-0 victory over Venezuela. After travelling to Ecuador for their final World Cup qualifier, he’ll return to Birmingham and prepare for next Villa’s trip to Everton next Saturday.
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