(Credit: Getty Images)
(Credit: Getty Images)
Match

Sources: 'Furious' Aston Villa owners probe Purslow over Argentine controversy

Wayne Veysey
Wayne Veysey

Founder & Managing Director AUTHORITY Former chief correspondent at Evening Standard, Goal and Press Association with nearly three decades in national, regional and digital news and sports journalism. Wayne directs the network’s news strategy and high-level operations. FOCUS Editorial direction for the 11-site network and newsroom management. THE BRIEF Wayne oversees the network’s editorial standards across the network. He provides the final sign-off on all headline scoops, ensuring content across all platforms meets the standards required for a high-velocity newsroom.

Published on: 

"Furious" Aston Villa owners Wes Edens and Naseef Sawiris have probed chief executive Christian Purslow over the Argentine Covid controversy, Football Insider understands.

Emiliano Martinez and Emiliano Buendia will miss Villa's Premier League clash against Chelsea on Saturday after heading to Croatia for 10 days to avoid UK hotel quarantine.

A Villa source has told Football Insider that Edens and Sawiris are unhappy at the absence of the key pair for a marquee fixture.

They are said to have questioned Purslow as to why more was not done to stop them heading to Brazil with the Argentina national team for a World Cup qualifier that was subsequently suspended.

Some in the Villa hierarchy believe Martinez and Buendia could have come under more pressure from the club to stay in England rather than fly to Sao Paolo.

The Midlands club had agreed Martinez and Buendia would be available for selection for the first two matches of the international break for Argentina, against Venezuela and Brazil.

The plan was for the pair to then miss Argentina's third game against Bolivia in the early hours of Friday morning UK time.

Martinez and Buendia flew back to Europe on Monday after Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Brazil was controversially suspended after it descended into chaos.

The duo will spend 10 days in green-list country Croatia, where they will train before travelling back to the UK.

Had they flown straight back to the UK it would have meant 10 days in government hotel quarantine.

It means Martinez and Buendia will miss Saturday evening's Premier League game against Chelsea.

They will be back in time for the clash against Everton on 18 September but could miss out as they will only have a few days to train with Dean Smith's squad.

In other news, Aston Villa hijacked Tottenham to seal seven-figure signing.

Aston Villa
www.footballinsider247.com