When the season ends, and it’s time to name a signing of the season, Aston Villa fans will undoubtedly be putting Emiliano Martinez’s name into the hat.
Signed from Arsenal in the summer for £15.66m, the Argentine has been a revelation since day one for the Villans.
With just 26 goals conceded in 23 Premier League games this season and 12 clean sheets to his name already, he is firmly in the hunt to win the Golden Glove and right up there with the best goalkeepers in the division this year.
Given he plays for Aston Villa, and not one of the ‘big six’, this has largely gone unnoticed, with the 28-year-old yet to receive the kind of praise that others receive daily.
Back in Argentina, though, his displays have been garnering more attention, with several prominent figures having praised the Aston Villa man and called for him to be established as Argentina’s number one.
The latest to join that list is World Cup winner Daniel Bertoni, who revealed his admiration in a recent chat with Fiorentina.it.
“Any Italian team looking for a goalkeeper should watch Emiliano Martinez, who Arsenal relinquished last summer,” he said.
“Now he plays for Aston Villa and is a phenomenon: he guarantees 10 points per season.
“There are a lot of good players in Argentina. There is a bit of a shortage of forwards, but there are good midfielders, goalkeepers and defenders.”
