Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has stripped Emi Martinez of the vice-captaincy with Ezri Konsa stepping up to wear the armband when John McGinn is absent, although its unsure whether its connected to his summer transfer saga
Emi Martinez was linked with a summer move to Man Utd but stayed put and has now been stripped of the vice-captaincy
Emi Martinez was linked with a summer move to Man Utd but stayed put and has now been stripped of the vice-captaincy
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Unai Emery has confirmed that Emi Martinez has been stripped of the vice-captaincy following his summer-long transfer saga with the Argentine no longer wearing the armband for Aston Villa.
Martinez would usually be the team's captain with John McGinn absent, but that wasn't the case on Thursday when Villa took on Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Instead it was England international Ezri Konsa who wore the captain's armband.
The goalkeeper had been tipped to leave Villa Park in the summer and cut an emotional figure in the final home game of last season. Manchester United, who were in the market for a goalkeeper, were seen as his most likely destination.
It is unclear whether taking the vice-captaincy from Martinez is directly linked to the Argentine's failed summer move but he was dropped for the opening matches of the season before being bought back into the fold by Emery.
Emery confirmed on Thursday that Martinez is no longer the club's vice-captain: "The first captain is John McGinn. We decided how we are, as well as managing the next captain.
"Usually, we have another captain, Emi Martinez, as second captain. But now, after speaking with him, I prefer to get him back. Konsa is the next one. Tyrone Mings, with Ollie Watkins too. Normally, we are managing it like that."
Martinez has been at Villa for four years following his move from Arsenal and has helped them become a Champions League side. Emery dropped him for Marco Bizot in the early weeks and refused to entertain questions on the Argentine. In one post-match interview he simply repeated Bizot's name.
Unai Emery has appointed new vice-captains at Villa Park
Unai Emery has appointed new vice-captains at Villa Park(Image: 2025 UEFA)
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Ruben Amorim's side did not make a formal approach until Martinez returned to Birmingham for pre-season training. Rather than make a permanent bid as was expected they enquired about a potential loan deal, which was quickly knocked back by Villa.
United instead chose to pursue a deal for Royal Antwerp's 23-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens, who has since become their No 1. It was thought that those in Manchester were potentially put off by the cost of a move for Martinez. Villa had been seeking £30million for their World Cup winner.
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