Aston Villa player named the ‘best’ in the Premier League in his position

Emiliano Martinez is the ‘best goalkeeper in the Premier League’ right now, according to Chris Sutton.

Martinez has been a stalwart since joining Villa from Arsenal in the summer of 2020, playing 160 times across all competitions.

Only Jordan Pickford (454) has made more saves than Martinez (433) since he joined Villa, while the Argentine is third behind Ederson (61) and Alisson (53) for clean sheets in the same period (45).

Martinez’s form at club level has translated to the international stage, too, with the 31-year-old playing a leading role in Argentina winning the 2022 World Cup, either side of their 2021 and 2024 Copa America triumphs.

Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez named Premier League’s best

Former Blackburn, Celtic and England striker Sutton — who played nine times for Villa in 2006 shortly before his retirement — has been so impressed by Martinez that he even named him above the likes of Alisson and Ederson as the Premier League’s best goalkeeper.

“Emi Martinez, I think he’s the best goalkeeper in the Premier League,” Sutton said of Yashin Trophy winner Martinez on the It’s All Kicking Off! podcast. “I think that you look at his performances over a prolonged period of time, the fact that he’s a World Cup winner as well and the way that he performed.

“I mean, what? I think he’s an elite goalkeeper and as I say, I can just imagine if I played at Villa very briefly, but he’s a goalkeeper, I think, who anybody would feel blimey, we’ve got real security behind us.

“And yeah, I do think he’s the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. I think a lot of people feel the same way, don’t they?”

Martinez was on hand once again to help Villa to all three points as they beat West Ham 2-1 in their opening fixture of the new Premier League season, making three saves at the London Stadium.

Next up for Unai Emery’s men is a home tie against Martinez’s former club, Arsenal, on Saturday.

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