Why James Trafford would be a good signing for Aston Villa - opinionplaceholder image
Why James Trafford would be a good signing for Aston Villa - opinion | Getty Images/ Canva
Aston Villa’s decision to strip Emi Martinez of the captaincy suggests the club could be planning for a future without him
The World Cup-winning goalkeeper has acted as John McGinn’s deputy since the start of the 2022/23 decision when Steven Gerrard first made changes to the leadership setup in a blow at the time to former skipper Tyrone Mings nearly three and half years ago.
Since then, Martinez has regularly stepped up to wear the armband whenever McGinn has been injured or rotated. However, that wasn’t the case on Thursday evening when Aston Villa took on Maccabi Tel Aviv, with Ezri Konsa instead taking the leadership role during the Europa League clash.
"The first captain is John McGinn," Unai Emery said at full-time. "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."
While the decision has only come to light publicly after the Europa League match, it’s been clear for a little while now on the pitch that Martinez is no longer viewed by Emery as a key focal point in the dressing room.
For example, when McGinn has been substituted off in matches, the armband has been handed to one of Konsa, Mings or Watkins. In the past, Martinez would have taken it instead.
Emi Martinez is slowly being phased out of Aston Villa
For the time being, Emi Martinez remains the first choice goalkeeper ahead of Marco Bizot at Villa Park.
He’s started the majority of matches this season and remains the most talented shot-stopper at the club despite not always hitting the levels he’d previously shown.
However, Emery’s decision to strip the goalkeeper of his leadership position suggests in the long-run that the club could be planning for a future without the fiery South American following the turbulence of last summer.
Martinez’s future has been uncertain ever since May, when he cried and appeared to say his farewells to Villa supporters after the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, the final home fixture of 2024/25. The 32-year-old was then sent off as Villa lost 2-0 to Man Utd at Old Trafford on the final day of the campaign.
Speculation grew and grew in the weeks that followed and dragged on all the way until the start of this season when the former Arsenal man was dropped from the lineup against Crystal Palace, with many assuming that he was on the verge of making a move to Manchester United.
It is understood that Martinez told Villa he wanted to move to Old Trafford. However, a move never materialised, and Martinez remained at Villa Park without his dream transfer.
His form has since taken a dip this season, and while he remains a key player in the short-term, recent developments suggest that an exit could take place in one of the next two transfer windows.
Aston Villa should target James Trafford in January
One possible candidate for the role that could be available is newly-signed Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford. He’s regarded as one of the brightest young goalkeepers in the Premier League after winning the Under-21 European Championships with England without conceding a goal and winning promotion with Burnley.
Trafford started his career at City, and enjoyed productive loan spells at the likes of Accrington Stanley and Bolton Wanderers as a youngster before joining Burnley under Vincent Kompany for a then club-record fee in the region of £19m.
He suffered relegation in his first season at Burnley but described it as a good experience nonetheless due to the lessons he learned along the way.
“The first time I actually touched the ball in the Prem was picking the ball out of the back of the net from (Erling) Haaland,” Trafford told Farmers Weekly. “Talk about a difficult introduction! It’s the best league in the world for a reason, every game is so tough. The talent in the league is unbelievable - bigger than anyone can understand unless you’ve played in it. They weren’t always good experiences, there were a lot of tough times. But you grow the most in the tough times, I honestly wouldn’t have changed anything for the world.”
Trafford, who has a combined 34 appearances for the Three Lions at various age groups, was among the standout players in the division in the Championship last season - keeping 29 clean sheets in 46 games and conceding just 16 times.
He broke the record for most consecutive clean sheets in Championship history (12) and also saved both of the two penalties he faced as the Clarets won automatic promotion.
His performances, which were hailed as ‘world class’ by Scott Parker, suggest he has the ability to go right to the top. However, despite strong interest from Newcastle United it was Manchester City, who eventually re-signed the goalkeeper for a reported £31m over the summer.
Trafford started the campaign as the first choice for Pep Guardiola’s men, but after a high-profile error on just his second appearance against Tottenham, he was eventually demoted to second choice after the club’s late decision to sign Champions League-winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain.
It’s a setback which has allowed Newcastle’s Nick Pope to usurp Trafford as the third choice in the most recent England squad and has jeopardised his chances of playing in the World Cup.
City’s decision to sign Donnarumma, also means Trafford is now playing second-fiddle to a goalkeeper just three years older than him which limits his room for growth.
Trafford will need first team opportunities to develop his game, meaning it could perhaps make sense for Aston Villa to try and target the goalkeeper at this stage as they look to replace Emi Martinez on a long-term basis.
The 23-year-old has many of the characteristics needed to be a top young goalkeeper and perhaps now just needs the opportunity to prove himself at a top club.
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