Emiliano Martinez rejected 'other offers' in favour of a move to Chelsea, according to reports. The World Cup winner is set to complete a move to Stamford Bridge after Chelsea agreed a £7.5m deal with Aston Villa.
Reasons behind the move
Martinez, who joined Aston Villa six years ago in a £20m deal from Arsenal, has been pushing for a move away from the Midlands club all summer. Villa sanctioned the Argentine's exit after signing Japan goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma at the start of the month.
Martinez was close to joining Juventus earlier in the window and rejected offers from other clubs in favour of a move to west London. According to The Guardian, the 33-year-old quickly made Chelsea his first-choice option as he was keen to play under Liverpool and Real Madrid legend Xabi Alonso.
Impact at Chelsea
Chelsea looked set to put their faith in Robert Sanchez again this season but club chiefs performed a U-turn after his shaky performance in the Premier League opener against Fulham. Martinez, who has signed a two-year deal with Chelsea, will come straight into the team after finalising his move, with Sanchez demoted not one but two places.
Belgian shot-stopper Mike Penders is expected to be Martinez's back-up at Chelsea, with Sanchez set to be frozen out unless he leaves before the summer transfer window closes. Despite Sanchez's struggles at Stamford Bridge, The Guardian say he has already attracted interest from clubs in England, Europe and Saudi Arabia.
Support from Jody Morris
Former Chelsea assistant manager Jody Morris has backed the club's pursuit of Martinez despite seeing signs of improvement from Sanchez last season. 'I actually thought Robert Sanchez showed improvement last year and looked safer than in the previous seasons,' he told Genting Casino.
'Having said that, looking at teams that consistently challenge for or win the title, as Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville said after the game, they typically possess a world-class presence in goal. Chelsea were fortunate to have Petr Cech and Thibaut Courtois between the sticks. Other title-winning teams have relied on world-class keepers like Ederson or Alisson.
'Sanchez has improved, but if Chelsea want to reach the next level and truly challenge, the goalkeeper position is somewhere they should look to strengthen. Emi Martinez appears keen to move on from Aston Villa after the departure of several teammates this summer. He would certainly be an improvement at Chelsea. He is an international winner and a real character, he might wind you up if he is on the opposing team, but you would love to have him on yours.'
Chelsea finished just 10th in the Premier League last season but have been tipped to at least climb back into the Champions League places under Alonso. After an opening win over Fulham, Chelsea will look to make it two from two when they play host to Brighton on Sunday afternoon.
