Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez gestures during the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest
Aston Villa's Emiliano Martinez gestures during the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest (Photo by Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)
Chelsea have been tipped to potentially sign Aston Villa favourite Emiliano Martínez after the Argentinian won FIFA's The Best Men's Goalkeeper 2024 award this week.
Martínez made history by becoming the first person to win the award twice since its inception back in 2016, winning it first in 2022 after Argentina's World Cup triumph. This year, the 32-year-old helped his club to UEFA Champions League qualification and won a second Copa América title with his country, while producing many highlights from his performances, like the mind-boggling save he pulled off against Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Since joining in 2020, Martínez has become an influential Villa figure, keeping a commendable 60 clean sheets in 181 appearances in claret and blue. His performances for Unai Emery as well as previous managers Steven Gerrard and Dean Smith, have also seen him cement himself as Argentina's undisputed number one, playing an enormous role in their two Copa América wins and World Cup win in Qatar.
Pundit and former Villa striker Darren Bent has speculated over his future, though. The 40-year-old, speaking on TalkSport, questioned the circumstances that could potentially tempt Martínez away from Villa Park and hinted at the club most suited for his signature.
"I wonder if they don’t get the Champions League, I know he signed a new contract, but could he go?," pondered Bent, who scored 25 goals in 72 appearances for the Villans.
"He could play for any team he wanted to, Chelsea could get him."
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