Emiliano Martínez let his Aston Villa teammates down and there’s no way back

There was a time not so long ago when ‘Aston Villa’s goalkeeper has no defence’ would have been the bud of a pretty decent joke.

Villa have endured a torrid summer transfer window and a dismal start to the Premier League season and there’s nothing funny about it. Going into the international break as the only team in England’s top four divisions without a goal and with the most threadbare bench in the top flight is no laughing matter.

But you’ll forgive me for enjoying a little chuckle in the direction of Emiliano Martínez today, even if his self-sabotage has done Villa a good deal of damage too. Manchester United have picked another goalkeeper over him on transfer deadline day and the bridge back into Bodymoor Heath is well and truly burned.

If Martínez ever appears in a Villa shirt again it’ll be too soon.

He could have been forgiven for the red card against United on the last day of last season, a contributing factor in Villa’s failure to qualify for the Champions League. There were other people involved in that incident and yes, it was bad, but these things happen in football.

He could have been forgiven for pursuing a challenge elsewhere in his early thirties. I thought it was a good time for him to move on and that Villa could theoretically have found an upgrade if he’d been sold earlier in the summer.

He could even have been forgiven for spending the first eight months of 2025 flashing his knickers at United. I personally wouldn’t have forgiven him for it, but truth be told I’ve never liked him anyway. I have the receipts for that, by the way, so don’t bother.

But Martínez committed the ultimate football crime on Sunday and it must be the end of his Villa career. No ifs. No buts.

I don’t know whether Martínez refused to play against Crystal Palace or whether it was decided for him because he was too busy picking his Carrington initiation song, but the upshot is simple: Villa played a Premier League match and Martínez was fit but didn’t play.

The rest of us don’t really matter when push comes to shove but he let his teammates down. It’s done. Game over. There’s no forgiving that.

Manchester United never really wanted Martínez

The consequences for Villa could be dire. We’ll never know the full truth but it looks as if they already have been.

Reports indicate that Martínez has been giving United the eye since January and making so secret of his desire to leave. Villa obviously had a price tag in mind and, given his age and contract length, there were logical reasons to allow that in the context of the club’s financial requirements.

United apparently made their move with a lazy loan bid and Villa, who presumably accounted for a sale that didn’t come, reluctantly sold Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle United.

The reaction of their teammates suggested that there was some discord about that outcome but only they really know. All we can say from the outside is that United’s blatant lack of interest at that stage should have been understood and professional standards maintained in the weeks that followed.

What transpired on Sunday was a disgrace. Whether Martínez chose not to play or was ruled out because he wasn’t ready to play, he wasn’t available for a match as a consequence of a move that isn’t going to happen.

Truth and consequences

Martínez must now pay the price. Villa will do well to find a replacement with just a few hours remaining of the transfer window but he is no longer a viable option. He should be sold immediately and if he can’t be sold, he should spend the first half of the season in exile.

Players come and go. It’s silly to expect loyalty to a club and football, ultimately, is a business. Ramsey and the friends he’s left behind will tell you that. We might want to believe that players care about us, owe us their commitment and dedication, but they don’t.

But whatever else is going on, they have to show up for each other when the chips are down. Martínez has broken that contract. If there wasn’t a rift in the dressing room before Sunday, there will be now.

Villa need unity above all else in their current situation. Martínez’s face no longer fits and the game is up.

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