Aston Villa are currently prioritizing signing a replacement for Emiliano Martinez with their Premier League rivals, according to recent reports.
Emery laughs at Thielemann’s push as Villa move closer to signing Abraham
After Aston Villa narrowly defeated Fenerbahce 1-0 to advance to the last 16 of the Europa League, it was Unai Emery who stole the show by outsmarting Youri Tielemans.
The Spaniard came on as a substitute for the Belgian, but seemed dissatisfied with his performance and pushed him to the bench. However, Emery laughed off the incident, telling reporters: “He is my son; he is my son.”
One bizarre incident aside, it was all about Aston Villa’s place in the last 16 and Emery had nothing but positive things to say about his team’s victory.
The Villa boss said: “The most important thing today was to compete as well as we did, to play well in our style. They asked us to be compact, which we did, and of course to win the game and score goals.”
“We had a chance to score the second goal. We didn’t do it, but I’m really happy with how we felt on Sunday. We want to get this win back and now focus on the next game against Newcastle on Sunday.”
Fabrizio Romano: Aston Villa could re-sign Abraham and another former star
The Villains could seal multiple reunions during this period.
Interestingly, this was also the win in which Martinez did not participate. On such an important night, the Argentine was given a rest and was replaced by Marco Bizzotto.
The big question is whether there is something behind this decision. Recent reports have claimed that Inter Milan have entered into talks with Martinez’s agent, sparking all-too-familiar fears that he could leave this month.
However, one of their star players could be set to leave, with manager Fabrizio Romano claiming Villa have reached a “verbal agreement” to sign Tammy Abraham from Besiktas, and another could be on the way. The former Chelsea striker looks set to return to the Premier League and Villa Park in a deal worth £18m.
That could be the beginning of some second-half turmoil from the Villains, especially if Martinez leaves before the end of the month.
Aston Villa prioritize transfer of James Trafford
Martinez’s potential departure is exactly why James Trafford has their attention. According to Team Talk, Aston Villa are currently prioritizing signing Trafford to replace Martinez should he leave.
Manchester City’s goalkeeper has been forced to watch on the bench since the arrival of Gianluigi Donnarumma scuppered his plans to become Josep Guardiola’s number one. If he is to compete for Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup spot and even Jordan Pickford, he needs the starting spot Villa can offer him.
It is worth noting that despite his release, Trafford still received impressive praise from Guardiola. City bosses told reporters at the start of the campaign: “Watching Trafford practice, I haven’t seen a goalkeeper as good as James in a long time. We have two great keepers.”
Given that Martinez is 33 years old and has made more mistakes of late, would it be such a bad thing for Villa to trade the World Cup winner for the young Trafford? In theory, it could be a stroke of genius.
