Chelsea officially announced the signing of Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa on a three-year deal on August 30, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]. The 33-year-old joins for a transfer fee reported to be around £7.5 million (approximately $10 million to $10.15 million) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7].

Martínez spent six seasons with Aston Villa after joining from Arsenal in 2020, making over 250 appearances for the club [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7]. He played a key role in helping Villa win the 2025-2026 UEFA Europa League under manager Unai Emery [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7]. Earlier this month, Villa signed Japan international goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, paving the way for Martínez’s departure [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7].

The World Cup-winning goalkeeper at Qatar 2022 and two-time Copa América champion in 2021 and 2024 is expected to challenge Chelsea’s current first-choice ‘keeper Robert Sánchez for the starting spot [1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7]. Sánchez’s position has been questioned after mistakes in Chelsea’s opening day 3-2 Premier League win over Fulham on August 25 [1, 3, 4, 6, 7].

Martínez previously attempted a transfer to Juventus earlier in August, which collapsed [2, 6]. He began his career at Arsenal but never secured a consistent first-team role there [4, 5, 7].

The goalkeeper expressed his enthusiasm about signing for Chelsea, saying, "I want to be successful here. I'm someone who wants to win at everything I do and I want to bring that here to this football club because it's a football club that wins titles, so I think it's a good match" [1]. He also added, "I'm delighted to be at this football club. Coming to Chelsea, for me and my family, was an easy decision to make and I'm just over the moon – I can't wait to get started" [2].

Martínez highlighted his passion and commitment: "I'm all passion and I play with my heart. I will give 100% every game, every training session to make the club, my teammates and the supporters proud" [4].

Martínez is the second player to transfer between Chelsea and Villa this summer after Nicolas Jackson moved from Chelsea to Villa [4, 7]. Several other notable Villa players have departed during this transfer window, including Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa, Jadon Sancho, Douglas Luiz, and Ollie Watkins [1, 2, 3, 4, 7].

Martínez’s contract with Chelsea runs for three years, setting up a crucial competition for the starting goalkeeper role early in the season [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].