Aston Villa has confirmed the departure of two key players, with striker Ollie Watkins joining Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez moving to Chelsea. Both transfers were officially announced on Sunday, marking the end of significant chapters for the Midlands club.
Watkins, 30, has signed a three-year contract with Al Hilal. While financial terms were not officially disclosed, British media outlets suggest the Saudi club paid £51 million ($69.01 million) for the England international, who had two years remaining on his Villa deal. Watkins leaves after a successful six-year tenure, during which he became the club’s all-time leading Premier League scorer with 91 goals. Across all competitions, he netted 108 times since his £28 million arrival from Brentford in 2020. Last season, he scored 21 goals, including five in the Europa League, helping Unai Emery’s side secure a European trophy.
The striker’s exit followed a period of tension, as manager Unai Emery had previously revealed that Watkins apologized for making himself unavailable for the club’s Premier League season opener. His departure is part of a wider squad overhaul at Villa, which has seen the exits of Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, and Youri Tielemans.
Simultaneously, World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has completed a move to Chelsea. The 33-year-old signed a three-year deal with the London club in a transfer reportedly worth £7.5 million ($10 million). Martinez, who made over 250 appearances for Villa after joining in 2020, expressed his commitment to his new side, stating, “I’m all passion and I play with my heart. I will give 100 per cent every game, every training session to make the club, my teammates and the supporters proud.”
For Martinez, the move represents a return to London, where he originally began his professional career with Arsenal. He was a pivotal figure in Unai Emery’s Europa League-winning squad last season.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso is expected to look to the Argentine to stabilize the goalkeeper position, which has faced scrutiny in recent years. Robert Sanchez, the current holder of the No. 1 shirt, faced renewed criticism following Chelsea’s 3-2 victory over Fulham in their Premier League opener on Monday. The report also notes that meanwhile, Argentina’s 2022 World Cup winning goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez joined Chelsea from fellow Premier League outfit Aston Villa, the London-based club announced on Sunday. The report also notes that following a series of loan spells away from the Emirates Stadium, Martinez joined Villa in 2020 and went on to make over 250 appearances.
