‘Loves it’: £17m Villa man is so happy at the club, he’s got a fantastic relationship with Emery – journalist

By Ben Evans

Aston Villa players have returned to training as they prepare for the resumption of the Premier League.

BirminghamLive journalist Ashley Preece has now shared an update on a number of Aston Villa-related topics ahead of the team’s return.

Unai Emery’s side face Cardiff City this evening in a Peter Whittingham Memorial match.

The squad then head off to Dubai, before facing Villarreal in a friendly before the Premier League restarts.

Villa being stationed in Dubai will allow their World Cup stars to quickly join them once eliminated.

They’ll have a close eye on how Poland fare today, who could still be eliminated despite sitting top of Group C.

Matty Cash and Jan Bednarek will be hoping to help their side progress, potentially at the expense of Emi Martinez.

Martinez is Argentina and Villa’s number one, and faces off against his Polish teammates today.

There were reports that Emery and Martinez didn’t see eye-to-eye after their time together at Arsenal.

However, Preece has dismissed those claims and said that Martinez is very happy at Aston Villa.

The £17m goalkeeper is one of the first names on Emery’s team sheet, and has been fantastic in his time at Villa Park.

Martinez is very happy at Villa

When asking about the pair’s relationship, Preece said: “No, nothing in those rumours at all. Emi and Unai get on really well, I’m told, and have a fantastic relationship. Martinez is more than happy at Villa, loves it.”

The 30-year-old keeper is very highly rated, and was linked with a move to a Champions League club this season.

Martinez openly spoke about how tough it was for him after Argentina’s shock defeat to Saudi Arabia.

After conceding twice, Martinez said he spoke to a psychologist and followed up the defeat with an important clean sheet.

Villa fans will be very pleased to hear that Martinez is happy at the club.

There’s talk about who Emery might be interested in signing in January, mainly focused on attacking players.

Emery will be hoping for some stability within his defence to build on going forward.