Gregg Evans has claimed that Aston Villa’s move for goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was one that the club couldn’t have turned down.
Aston Villa were rather up in the air when it came to their goalkeeper last season, going through four goalkeepers in all competitions, but now the position is a lot clearer with Martinez now the well-established number one.
And the Argentinian has certainly been a major part in helping Dean Smith’s move up the table, with the team having only conceded 16 goals so far this season, compared to the 24 after the same amount of games last campaign, backed up by the fact he has the third-best save percentage in the division.
And whilst the £20m transfer fee might have looked a little high for a 28-year-old who was perennially a backup, speaking on the latest edition of the Tifo Football Podcast, Evans believes that he has been worth every penny so far:
“He’s now at a Villa team who can probably say that they’re ahead of Arsenal at the moment. So it’s a good move for him a good move for Villa, they felt like they were able to get a 28-year-old in the peak of his career for that money, £20m. It was an opportunity they couldn’t let go.”
Is Martinez Villa's best summer signing?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Gregg Evans’ praise of Emiliano Martinez…
Evans’ comments bring up an interesting theory about the transfer window and targets. If you truly believe that there is a player that can improve your team, then you have to play whatever the cost is to get him on your team, and with Martinez now valued at just £16.2m on Transfermarkt, you could argue they have done exactly that.
You might win some, you might lose some, and all transfers are a gamble. But if you can find that player that can really take your team to the next level, as Martinez is doing at Aston Villa right now, then they will end up being worth whatever you paid for them, and maybe even then some.