Emiliano Martinez joins Chelsea on three-year deal

Xabi Alonso now has a proven goalkeeper for his project at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea confirmed on Sunday the signing of Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez, the World Cup winning goalkeeper with Argentina, who arrives from Aston Villa after signing a three year contract.

The move should come as no surprise to anyone who has watched the Blues' start to the league season. Robert Sanchez again looked shaky in the Premier League opener against Fulham, and that fragility between the posts sped up the search for a change in goal. At 33 years old and with a trophy case that carries real weight, Martinez arrives billed as an immediate fix rather than a long term project.

The player himself made no attempt to hide his excitement as soon as the move was made official. True to his direct style, he made clear the ambition he brings to London:

Coming to Chelsea, for me and my family, was an easy decision to make and I'm bursting with joy. I can't wait to get started. I want to succeed here. I'm someone who wants to win at everything I do, and I want to bring that to this club because it's a club that wins trophies, so I think it's a good match.Emiliano Martinez

The path out of Villa Park had cleared weeks earlier, when Aston Villa completed the signing of goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma, opening the door for Martinez to look for a new destination. He leaves a huge mark in Birmingham: 256 appearances across six seasons and a Europa League title won as recently as this past May.

A resume that commands respect

To talk about Emiliano Martinez is to talk about one of the most decisive goalkeepers of the last decade. He has been Argentina's undisputed starting goalkeeper since 2021, with 67 appearances for the Albiceleste. In that span he lifted the Copa America in 2021 and again in 2024, played a key role in the conquest of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and reached the final of this year's edition of the tournament. He also picked up the Yashin Trophy for the world's best goalkeeper at the Ballon d'Or gala in both 2023 and 2024.

His story in European football began long before he became an absolute reference point. Trained in Independiente's youth ranks, he joined Arsenal in 2010 at just 17 years old. After several loan spells that shaped him as a player, he earned a permanent place with the Gunners in the 2019-20 season, when he started the last eleven matches and ended up lifting the FA Cup.

Now he faces a different challenge: fighting for a starting spot and for trophies at a Chelsea side looking to make up ground in the Premier League. Martinez himself has already made clear how he plans to approach it:

I'm all passion and I play with my heart. I'm going to give one hundred percent in every match, in every training session, to make the club, my teammates and the fans proud.Emiliano Martinez

With that mix of experience, silverware and character, Chelsea hopes to have solved in one stroke the problem that had been dogging its goalkeeping situation.