Damian Vidagany Dismisses Martinez Juventus Talk
Aston Villa’s director of football operations has gone on the record to end weeks of speculation over Emiliano Martínez’s future, dismissing any suggestion of a Juventus move this summer.
Damian Vidagany told 365 Scores that Emi Martínez is going nowhere, addressing the transfer talk directly rather than leaving it to the usual pattern of silence and inference.
“Martínez will STAY with us, we have no intention of letting him leave this summer,” Vidagany said. “The team needs his dedication and extensive experience, and it is a very important element in our project for next season.”
“All the news published by the media about his possible transfer to Juventus does not reflect the real position of the club. Martínez is a very important player for us and we expect him to continue to offer exceptional performances together with his teammates.”
It draws a line under weeks of reporting that had Juventus weighing up a move, Villa’s valuation sitting well above what the Italian club were willing to pay, and Guillaume Restes floated as the succession plan should a sale go through. None of that was ever going to change the reality that the 33-year-old Argentine goalkeeper was vital in terms of making Villa competitive in the forthcoming Champions League campaign, and it would never be a sensible sale.
As Expected?
MOMS said as much when the links first gathered pace. Martínez is not an ageing squad player whose wages need to be cleared off the books; he is a world-class goalkeeper at the peak of his powers, and a lynchpin of the current Villa team while it reboots. Most of the noise on the matter, always looked like it was coming from transfer influencer shills.
Vidagany’s statement removes the ambiguity Villa had left hanging over their goalkeeper’s future. It’s plausible that the timing owes something to Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne’s expected exits easing the wage bill under the UEFA settlement. Ultimately though, at least Villa supporters have certainty now instead of having a fee standoff to speculate over.
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