Stan Collymore doesn’t think Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez would be a significant upgrade on Chelsea’s Kepa Arrizabalaga at Stamford Bridge.
As it stands, Kepa Arrizabalaga is the first-choice keeper at Chelsea and is supported by Edouard Mendy.
However, the Blues have been linked with a number of goalkeepers ahead of the summer transfer window, including Aston Villa’s number one.
TyC Sports journalist Gaston Edul has claimed on Twitter this week that Chelsea are interested in signing Martinez from Premier League rivals Villa.
Pundit Stan Collymore has explained he doesn’t think Villa fans would mind that much if Martinez was sold this summer.
It’s interesting to note he doesn’t think the 30-year-old World Cup winner would be a big improvement on Kepa.
“I think Martinez is a great one-on-one keeper, but don’t think his technical ability with his feet is anything special, so personally, I wouldn’t mind if he wanted to leave and go to a different club – I don’t think many Villa fans would lose sleep over it either,” Collymore wrote in his column for CaughtOffside.
“He’s being linked with Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United. While I am sure he’d provide the likes of Kepa, Edouard Mendy and David De Gea with competition, I’m not sure he’d be a major upgrade for either.”
Despite Collymore’s claims, we think Martinez would be a step up in the Chelsea net next season.
There is still huge question marks around 28-year-old gloveman Kepa when it comes to his shot-stopping abilities, especially dealing with efforts from distance.
We think Kepa is still a decent keeper and could be a great number one elsewhere, but it’s time for a change in-between the sticks at Chelsea.
It would be fantastic to see someone with the personality and aura of Martinez step into a Blues XI that has gone through a difficult year.
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