2 days ago
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Emi Martinez was unable to secure his departure from Aston Villa on deadline day, and the goalkeeper may now be forced to consider one of his less preferred alternatives after Manchester United opted against pursuing the Argentine.
Martinez was expected to depart Villa Park this summer and appeared emotional during the latter stages of the last Premier League campaign. Since arriving in the Midlands, he's established himself as one of Europe's finest goalkeepers and can also claim a World Cup triumph amongst his achievements.
He has been connected with a switch to Manchester, which was his preferred destination, despite interest also emerging from Saudi Arabia.
The financial packages available in the Middle East have attracted players, and Villa has recently sold to Saudi Pro League clubs, with Jhon Duran among those departures.
Clubs were interested, but The Athletic reports that moving to Saudi Arabia "does not entice" Martinez.
He wished to continue competing at the highest level and his wife also maintains business ventures in the UK, strengthening his desire to remain from a personal perspective.
However, following the closure of the transfer window in England and several other leading European nations, Martinez may find himself with limited choices should he still wish to leave Villa. The Saudi window continues for another three weeks.
Unai Emery opted to omit the goalkeeper from his squad for two of the opening three fixtures of the campaign. When the Spaniard was questioned about his decision not to include Martinez ahead of Sunday's defeat to Crystal Palace, he simply repeated the phrase "Marco Bizot" to the reporter.
The Dutch shot-stopper, who arrived from Brest during the summer window, evidently enjoys his manager's confidence.
Martinez's inability to secure a switch to Manchester stems from the club's decision to pursue Senne Lammens instead, acquiring the Belgian from Royal Antwerp. United ultimately opted for the 23-year-old over Martinez due to his more youthful profile.
Martinez would also have cost United double the amount of Lammens, with the Argentine also likely to demand a higher wage due to his reputation as a World Cup winner.
The Red Devils have already invested more than $250 million in their attacking line, leaving them walking a financial tightrope, which meant Lammens was deemed the superior choice.
Emery remains willing to mend the relationship with Martinez, potentially offering him a route back should he wish to remain.
He commented: "We have to fix it with him. Tomorrow, the transfer window finishes, and we are expecting something hopefully to improve the squad. But we keep calm.
"One of the situations we are speaking about is Emi Martinez, but we will see tomorrow. Then we try to get the balance and try to work after the break and try again at Everton to recover our mentality."
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