Calls for Aston Villa to move on from Emiliano Martínez are silly at best | OneFootball

Any player, particularly in the Premier League, will go through a rough stretch. Regardless, Emiliano Martínez is unequivocally the No. 1 for Aston Villa, and switching to someone else would be an unforced error from the club.

Since arriving from Arsenal in 2020, he has worn the badge with pride. Yes, some may elect to focus on a couple of his latest errors. That's what happens in between the posts. Unlike other positions, a mistake by the keeper directly leads to a goal more so than a field player's. Even so, Martínez, more often than not, can be relied on to come up with the needed saves and has over 50 EPL clean sheets to his name.

At 32 years old, the Argentinian is still in his prime. Supporters at Villa Park know, when it comes down to it, Martínez is who they want to see in the starting XI. His love of the club and willingness to be a villain for others help to make the clear-cut case for him as the ultimate Villan.

There are many overreacting to the potential consequences of PSR. Wrongly included in potential resolutions for future decisions regarding the financial aspect is the possibility of shipping out Martínez. There is reportedly interest in the Villa keeper from the Saudi League, as reported by The Telegraph. And that's reasonable enough. It makes sense for a number of teams to be interested in adding the Argentina international to their squad.

That does not make him an option who is available. It certainly does not make it smart business on the part of Villa to seriously consider selling Martínez or entertaining anything other than an out-of-this-world offer. Naturally, everyone has a price tag. If anyone has a willingness to match any required starting amount to at least begin negotiations, it would be those from Saudi.

Why it's important for Aston Villa to keep Martínez

Regardless, Villa sticking with Martínez is about more than staying within any potential PSR guidelines or otherwise. The number one GK has been a critically important part of the club's rise to the current point that they are in. The FA Cup and Champions League runs are in large part thanks to the steady presence that he provides back there.

Being too willing and eager to move on from Martínez due to a slump would have negative consequences, particularly among the current AVFC corps. There will come a time when the club will need to move on from the No. 1. Now, however, is not the time.