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
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