Aston Villa ‘concerned’ about Emiliano Martinez – ‘his head isn’t with it’
Emiliano Martinez has been an inconsistent performer for Aston Villa so far this season with fans beginning to grow frustrated with his displays.
Unai Emery’s side lost 2-0 to Liverpool at the weekend, and the first goal came as a gift from the goalkeeper as Martinez passed the ball straight to Mohamed Salah.
It is not the first mistake the Argentina international has made since returning to the starting XI, and concerns are now growing about his level of performances.
This comes after Martinez was expected to leave Aston Villa during the summer transfer window, before his hopes of securing an exit collapsed in the late stages.
Man United had been linked with Martinez but opted against pursuing a move, while talk of offers from Saudi Pro League clubs failed to materialise.
Emiliano Martinez concerns emerge at Aston Villa
Martinez was quickly reintegrated at Aston Villa, but the transfer saga has left lasting doubts in the fans’ minds, while his performances have yet to meet expectations.
As a result of his performances so far this season, concerns have emerged that the goalkeeper’s head may not be in the right place given the speculation over the summer.
That is according to former Aston Villa and Man United senior scout Mick Brown, who remains very well-connected within the game, as he exclusively told Football Insider that while those concerns are not major, further mistakes could raise questions.
“These mistakes could be a result of what happened in the summer,” he told Football Insider.
“He wanted to leave Villa in the summer but didn’t quite get the opportunity to do that, because any talk about Man United or Saudi Arabia collapsed.
“Fans are not quick to forget these things, they weren’t happy with that.
“All of a sudden, he’s making mistakes, his focus seems to have drifted a bit, and that’s always going to lead to more frustrations, not just amongst the fans.
“It’s something I’m sure Aston Villa will be concerned about as well, if he’s making errors like that.
“It’s entirely possible that his head isn’t quite with it after everything that happened during the summer because it seemed to everybody that he would be leaving.
“He’s got to get back into the zone of being an Aston Villa player and everything that means.
“It’s happened to lots of players over a number of years, transfer talk always causes instability, and it seems Martinez could be the latest victim of that.
“Of course, it’s possible that he’s just in a tricky spell of form and there might be no reason for that.
“I’m surprised he’s made these sort of mistakes, because I rate him very highly, but if there’s a reason behind it, it has to be resolved quickly.”
Meanwhile, Football Insider exclusively revealed in September that Martinez could be tempted to leave Aston Villa if their early-season struggles continue.
Harvey Elliott and Jadon Sancho raise concerns at Villa Park
Martinez is not the only player causing concerns at Villa Park, however, with both Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott struggling since joining the club on loan.
Football Insider revealed on 28 October that Elliott has struggled to impress at Villa and has fallen well down the pecking order under Emery.
The midfielder has not featured in any of Villa’s last four league games, and was left out of the squad completely during the 1-0 win against Man City despite being fit to play.
Meanwhile, Sancho has also struggled to make an impact at Villa Park despite being afforded slightly more regular game time as part of the first-team squad.
Football Insider revealed on 31 October that Sancho will not leave Villa in January as there is no break clause in his loan move, despite those initial concerns.
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