Aston Villa are reportedly ‘bitter’ after Manchester United won the race for Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, despite offering more money for the 23-year-old.
Unai Emery’s side had targeted Lammens on deadline day amid uncertainty surrounding the future of first-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Man United had registered interest in signing the Belgian shot-stopper earlier last month but didn’t agree a deal until the final hours of the summer transfer window.
There was the possibility of Martinez ending up at Old Trafford and Villa replacing him with Lammens, but the former has stayed at Villa Park despite making it clear he wanted to leave back in May.
He’s been left with egg on his face, while the Red Devils have improved their goalkeeper depth with the addition of Lammens, who’s not expected to come straight into Ruben Amorim’s starting XI.
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Andre Onana has been the club’s first choice since the start of 2023/24, but Amorim has preferred Altay Bayindir at the start of the season, keeping faith in the Turkish international after a mistake led to the only goal of the game in their Premier League opener against Arsenal.
Bayindir started at Fulham and then against Burnley on Saturday as United earned their first win of the season.
It’s unclear who Amorim’s long-term No.1 will be, but the expectation is that Lammens will have to work for the shirt.
He might not have to work that hard, though. Amorim clearly doesn’t rate Onana and Bayindir is worryingly error-prone.
United’s first game after the international break is away to Manchester City, which does suggest he won’t be thrown straight in.
Villa, meanwhile, are searching for their first goal and win of the season after drawing with Newcastle United and losing against Brentford and Crystal Palace.
It’s been a miserable start to 2025/26 for them, and their transfer business hasn’t given the fans much to be excited about.
The goalkeeper deadline day debacle rubbed salt in the wounds for the club’s supporters, with Lammens joining United for a fee below what the Villans offered Antwerp.
That’s according to the Daily Mail, where it’s claimed that Lammens joined United for £18.2m plus £3.5m in add-ons, and pushed for his ‘dream move’ to Old Trafford that left Martinez in limbo and Villa feeling ‘bitter’ after making a ‘higher’ bid.
It all comes down to ‘pulling power’, which still gives the Red Devils ‘a crucial advantage in the transfer window’, despite back-to-back all-time worst Premier League seasons.
Other examples cited are Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, who both snubbed interest from elsewhere to move to Old Trafford.
After joining the Red Devils, Lammens said: “In my team in Antwerp, there were some players who were also in England and, when I talked to them about Manchester United, you could directly see their face change. The club alone, the aura of the club, it’s massive, and being here today, seeing it, it’s a different level.”
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