Three days ago, Chelsea completed the signing of Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa.
Later that day, the goalkeeper made his Chelsea debut in their 4-3 win over Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Premier League side were able to complete this surprise signing, after Juventus failed to secure the 34-year-old’s services.
Juventus didn’t sign new Chelsea man
The Serie A side had chased the Argentina international for several weeks. Juve manager Luciano Spalletti had publicly confirmed their interest in July.
However, the Turin club weren’t able to take him away from Aston Villa and ended up signing Guglielmo Vicario on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.
D Sports in Argentina now provides an insight into why Juventus decided against signing the stopper.
Injury concern for Juventus
In May, Aston Villa overcame SC Freiburg in the final to win the Europa League. During the warmup, the former Arsenal man suffered a fractured finger and ended up playing the entire match.
There were concerns over his involvement with the national team However, he regained fitness and played every minute at the World Cup.
D Sports now reports Juventus made significant progress to sign him and had come close to meeting Aston Villa’s price. The stopper and his family were already planning a move to Italy.
The outlet states: ‘The real reason the transfer fell through wasn’t related to salary demands or disagreements between the clubs’ management, but rather to a risky physical decision made by the goalkeeper.’
When he suffered a fracture in May, the stopper was immediately advised to go under the knife. Emiliano Martínez refused to undergo surgery to not miss the World Cup and played the tournament ‘in severe pain’.
This resulted in ‘enormous distrust’ among the Italian club’s leaders, who ruled him out and focused on Guglielmo Vicario.
Juventus’ failure to complete the operation allowed Martínez to secure a surprise move to Chelsea last weekend. Xabi Alonso’s side have offered him a contract until 2029.
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