- Why Chelsea could consider Emiliano Martínez despite having Robert Sánchez and Mike Penders already competing for the position.
Chelsea are considering a move for Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez after the 33-year-old was offered to the club, according to David Ornstein. The Blues are assessing Martínez alongside Robert Sánchez as they consider their goalkeeping options before the transfer deadline.
Why Martínez could leave Aston Villa
Martínez will not be the preferred goalkeeper for Unai Emery following the arrival of Japanese goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma, so they want to offload the Argentinian before deadline day. Juventus was in the race to sign Martinez but withdrew the interest due to concerns over his finger injury and disagreements over valuation with Villa.
The player has already given his green light to join Chelsea; now the final decision is up to the club to finalize their interest and agree to a fee with Aston Villa before deadline day.
Chelsea weigh experience against existing goalkeeper options
The 33-year-old goalkeeper won the Golden Glove award and became a key player in Argentina's World Cup triumph in 2022. Then he played a critical role in Villa's Europa League triumph last season. His track record makes him an ideal goalkeeper for cup games; however, questions remain over whether his consistency across an entire league campaign matches the level he has shown in major knockout matches.
However, his shot-stopping ability makes him an ideal option for the teams that are looking for experienced players, and there is a good chance that he could make a positive impact at Chelsea similar to what Szczesny did in Barcelona. Both represent experienced goalkeepers who can provide reliability in high-pressure matches while also helping younger options develop.
Why Xabi Alonso could value his experience
Chelsea has highly rated Mike Penders and Spanish goalkeeper Robert Sánchez on the team, so the presence of a player like Emiliano Martínez will help to mentor the players and start the big games where Martínez proved his worth.
Apart from these, Xabi Alonso prefers to have experienced players on the team to use in important games; the arrival of Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson are solid examples of that, so as an experienced player, he could add value to the Chelsea squad with his experience in Premier League and World Cup stages