Comment: Late Emi Martinez drama summed up Aston Villa's summer of uncertainty

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.

The experience might have been bruising for his ego, though there is every chance he won’t let on.

Martinez possesses the thickest of skins and if there is one player you would back to handle the rejection, sweep the public embarrassment under the carpet and move on, it would be him.

All indications are Villa and Unai Emery are prepared to move on.

The club were certainly open to a parting of ways earlier in the summer. For one thing, the fee would have provided more wriggle room in a window where their spending was heavily restricted by Uefa’s financial regulations.

Though recent days might have been messy, amid United’s renewed but ultimately uncertain interest, Martinez remains, when fully focused, one of the best goalkeepers around. Villa need him. They need each other.

Supporters may now look upon their No.1 with a degree of suspicion but while the relationship between player and fanbase might have been muddied, it is hardly beyond repair.

Others have come back from worse. All it took for Jhon Duran to win back the fans, having gone public with his desire to join West Ham, was to score the winning goal against his suitors.

Martinez, admittedly, has formed a much stronger bond with the fanbase than Duran ever managed.

But then so too had Gabriel Agbonlahor, club captain stripped of the armband and deemed unfit to play during the 2015-16 relegation season.

Few back then would have believed Agbonlahor would ever play for Villa again yet it happened and though his legacy will always be complex, there exists a level of affection for the striker nearly a decade on from his disgrace. Memories in football tend to be short and time really is a healer.

The overwhelming desire among Emery and his staff is to draw a line under a window they always knew would be difficult but turned out to be far harder than even anticipated.

Of the five senior arrivals, three occurred on deadline day, with Villa having to wait until the last possible moment to strike deals which fitted Uefa’s financial parameters. The sale of Jacob Ramsey was deemed a necessary evil after initial interest in Martinez and Leon Bailey failed to materialise into solid offers.

Very little about how the club was effectively forced to do business felt satisfying. The late signing of Harvey Elliott, at least, provided some cause for optimism, while the retention of key players like Boubacar Kamara and Morgan Rogers rank among the window's biggest positives. 

All told, it has been a summer of huge uncertainty, with the Martinez saga a microcosm. He is far from the only player to have believed his future might have lay elsewhere and Emery, for one, believes the doubt has contributed to a poor start on the pitch.

The closure of the window at least brings clarity and the chance for everyone to begin working on far surer footing.