Comment: Late Emi Martinez drama summed up Aston Villa's summer of uncertainty
There’s no point pretending Emi Martinez hasn’t made himself look a little silly.
When the goalkeeper burst into tears at the end of last season’s final home match, many interpreted it as the actions of a player who knew he would be leaving in the summer.
In reality, they were the actions of a player who only thought he might be leaving and ultimately, as it transpired, he thought wrong.
Even as late as deadline day, Martinez was still waiting for the call which never came.
Despite all the efforts of his representatives, Villa did not receive a single concrete offer bar a loan approach from Manchester United in July so optimistic it bordered on the offensive.
There was nothing from Atletico Madrid, the club Martinez is understood to have initially believed would be his destination. United, ultimately, opted to go with the younger, albeit unproven model in the shape of Senne Lammens.
Like the school braggart who has only a few pals have turned up to their birthday party, Martinez discovered he was not quite so popular as he thought he was.
