Emi Martinez

[edgysatsuma89]

For those wondering what he actually said:

"I'm still hungry, I want to win the Champions League. Obviously, I would like to do it with Aston Villa, but it will be difficult because the club is still in its growth phase.

"I won the most beautiful title there is with the national team and now I'm aiming for the biggest title. I would like to win a title with Aston Villa but it's complicated, they knocked us out of the FA Cup in January. You should never lose hope. We'll see what will happen. I have the feeling that today I have the level to play in the Champions League and try to win it."

"I thought about leaving football a few years ago. I thought that maybe it wasn't made for me, because it involved me a lot, I trained for hours, but I didn't play. I saw that it wasn't working. Then, four, five years ago, I started working with a psychologist, who helped me not to hit rock bottom. And then I got up. My son was born at this time and I decided not to go on loan anymore. From there, I exploded.

"I came close to playing in Ligue 1 several times when I was younger. PSG is a great club with great players. They aim to win the Champions League every year. Who wouldn't love to play there?! Leo and Kylian are cracks! Partners that any player dreams of having."

He's obviously mentioning PSG because he's talking to a French outlet although it is a little 'come and get me'. Overall it's all pretty reasonable for someone in his position.

[PaulWinch again]

You could say we needed to, too - especially having packed off our top scorer.

Yes we clearly did.

[N'ZMAV]

we're currently a bottom half Premier League team; he's not staying. I wonder if he'll have some dignity, or act up?

[Scott Nielsen]

There's an awful lot of making stuff up going on here. People seem to have completely ignored the bit where he says he wants to win a trophy with the Villa.

C'mon, Drummond. You know perfectly well the implication is that at Villa he will not win trophies.

[PaulWinch again]

Yes the subtext is pretty clear - I’d love to win a trophy with Villa but there’s little to no chance they’re progressing to that level quick enough for me.

[Scott Nielsen]

Recruiting Emery was a good first step, but we needed to take the second step in this window, because the clubs between us and the European spots are there for the taking right now, and next season they most likely won't be.

Yep. The idea that we'll just sit a play or two out and see how it all unfolds before acting is for the birds. It presupposes that the clubs above us, around us and lower will all be locked in neutral as well. Don't really see that being the case.

Yes. This nonsense about it not being important how we place in the league as long as we don't get relegated is very corrosive and not how you create a winning mentality.

[olaftab]

For those wondering what he actually said:

"I'm still hungry, I want to win the Champions League. Obviously, I would like to do it with Aston Villa, but it will be difficult because the club is still in its growth phase.

"I won the most beautiful title there is with the national team and now I'm aiming for the biggest title. I would like to win a title with Aston Villa but it's complicated, they knocked us out of the FA Cup in January. You should never lose hope. We'll see what will happen. I have the feeling that today I have the level to play in the Champions League and try to win it."

"I thought about leaving football a few years ago. I thought that maybe it wasn't made for me, because it involved me a lot, I trained for hours, but I didn't play. I saw that it wasn't working. Then, four, five years ago, I started working with a psychologist, who helped me not to hit rock bottom. And then I got up. My son was born at this time and I decided not to go on loan anymore. From there, I exploded.

"I came close to playing in Ligue 1 several times when I was younger. PSG is a great club with great players. They aim to win the Champions League every year. Who wouldn't love to play there?! Leo and Kylian are cracks! Partners that any player dreams of having."

He's obviously mentioning PSG because he's talking to a French outlet although it is a little 'come and get me'. Overall it's all pretty reasonable for someone in his position.

Thanks for that. And yes a very reasonable and pragmatic from his point of view however there is clear indication for us that he will ask for a move come EOTS.

[dave shelley]

I suppose it's feasible that he's already been offered one, it could also be that it's something written into that new contract he signed not too long ago.

[Toronto Villa]

I don’t see what is surprising here. What would any of us expect him to say. I’m pretty sure if JJ or McGinn or Calum Chambers was asked about their ambition they’d all want to play in the CL. No different to Bacuna who was laughed at for having that ambition. Our job is to put in place the best environment for players to succeed and historically we haven’t which is why all of our best players have left. The January transfer window alone wouldn’t have changed that. Had we bought two or three top players it might have made him think we are more ambitious, but the answer he gave to a question about his desire to play at that level in his career would not have changed.

[Dave]

As Risso has stated their Chairman said we didn't make an offer and we can pontificate all day around ifs and buts BUT we did not make an offer to tempt them to sell. That's the crux of it. Once again we are NOT striking whilst the iron is hot.

So we make an offer and it's rejected...what then? Isn't that what happened with Nico Williams anyway?

No. The (clearly bullshit, and not reported by anyone reputable) report said that we were willing to meet his release clause but the player didn't want to come. So if it is true, then it's the opposite.

The "what then?", if we're either not offering enough money to the selling club or what we're offering to the player isn't attractive enough to convince them to join then we have two choices - offer better terms or move on to other targets.

I find it very strange that in the same breath people can bemoan the daft hiring of Gerrard, and our mediocre-at-best recent transfer history and at the same time be completely convinced that the people who did those things, have a fool-proof plan and couldn't possibly have just messed up a bit in January.

[Goldie.7]

I predicted all this happening in the transfer thread. I would quote but it's locked.

He can see Villa have no ambition and is engineering a move. We've seen this countless times before!

[Dave]

I predicted all this happening in the transfer thread. I would quote but it's locked.

He can see Villa have no ambition and is engineering a move. We've seen this countless times before!

And while we're repeating ourselves, I still maintain that there isn't anywhere realistic* for him to go who could afford to buy him.

(*Man Utd if De Gea leaves caveat applies)

[Scott Nielsen]

I predicted all this happening in the transfer thread. I would quote but it's locked.

He can see Villa have no ambition and is engineering a move. We've seen this countless times before!

And while we're repeating ourselves, I still maintain that there isn't anywhere realistic* for him to go who could afford to buy him.

(*Man Utd if De Gea leaves caveat applies)

And hopefully they have David Raya lined up to replace him anyway.

[Toronto Villa]

Keepers are probably the easiest to replace. There are a number of excellent keepers out there who would cost a lot less than what we’d get for Emi. It’s always how you replace him, use the money we’d get well plus spending a net number that makes a significant difference to the path we intend to go on. Entering next season while it won’t be the final product what we put out needs to at minimum have us consistently top 8 and competing above that.

[dave.woodhall]

This is a microcosm of a bigger whole. A lot of us on here are getting on, we've seen so many new dawns fade and to be honest, if the combination of loaded owners and respected manager doesn't do it, then what will? If we don't push on this season I can see another few years of bumbling around mid-table until it's our turn to get relegated again.