Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has stripped Emi Martinez of his vice-captainship and Ezri Konsa has stepped forward to wear the armband in John McGinn’s absence, but it is unclear whether this has anything to do with the summer transfer spree.
Manager Unai Emery has confirmed that Emi Martinez has been stripped of his vice-captainship after he no longer wears the Aston Villa armband following the summer transfer scandal.
Normally Martinez would captain the team in John McGinn’s absence, but that was not the case on Thursday when Villa faced Maccabi Tel Aviv. England’s Ezri Konsa wore the captain’s armband instead.
The goalkeeper has been linked with a move away from Villa Park in the summer and was impressive in last season’s final home game. Manchester United, who were eyeing a goalkeeper, were thought to be his frontrunners.
It is unclear whether taking over the vice-captainship from Martinez was directly linked to the Argentine’s failed summer transfer, but he was left out for the opening game of the season and then bought back by Emery.
Emery confirmed on Thursday that Martinez was no longer the club’s vice-captain, saying: “The first captain was John McGinn. We not only managed the next captain, but we also decided who we are.”
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“Normally we have another captain, Emi Martinez, as a second captain. But now, after speaking to him, I prefer to have him back. Next up is Konsa, Tyrone Mings, and also Ollie Watkins. Usually we operate that way.”
Martinez spent four years at Villa after joining from Arsenal, helping them qualify for the Champions League. Emery replaced him with Marco Bizzotto in the early weeks and refused to answer questions about the Argentine. In one postgame interview, he simply repeated Bizzotto’s name.
Ruben Amorim’s side did not make a formal approach until Martinez returned to Birmingham for pre-season training. Rather than making the expected outright bid, he inquired about the possibility of a loan deal, which was quickly rejected by Villa.
United instead chose to pursue the signing of 23-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Senne Ramens from Royal Antwerp, who has since become the team’s number one. It was thought that those in Manchester were potentially hesitant about a move for Martinez given the cost. Villa wanted £30m for the World Cup winner.
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