According to a report from Birmingham Live, Aston Villa could lose out on Inigo Martinez of Athletic Bilbao as Barcelona are closing in on signing him this summer. The 31-year-old is set to become a free agent at the end of this season as his contract expires with the Spanish outfit.
Martinez’s Impressive Numbers In La Liga So Far This Season
Martinez has made 13 appearances for the Spanish club this season and has been responsible for producing a run of solid displays for them on the defensive end of the pitch.
The Ondrroa-born sensation has been a rock at the back for Bilbao and has done really well to average 1.2 tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.6 clearances per 90 minutes in La Liga. He has even been excellent when distributing the ball from the back, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 82.7% in the Spanish first division this season (stats via whoscored).
Should Emery Make A Move To Convince Him Into Joining Aston Villa?
Martinez is a good tacker of the ball and can time his challenges well to earn the ball back for his side. He doesn’t mind putting his foot through the ball when needed and is proficient at playing his way out from the back.
Standing at 1.82m, the Spaniard can use his strong frame to dominate the opposition in the air, so he would definitely make an immediate impact at Villa Park.
We can expect Martinez to add more quality to Unai Emery’s defence at Villa, and he is good enough to fight for a regular starting spot in the West Midlands club.
At 31, Inigo Martinez is in his prime, which makes him a perfect choice for the Villans to consider during the summer transfer window. He could prove to be a shrewd acquisition as he’ll soon become a free agent, so Emery should devise a plan to engineer a move for him. However, competing against the Spanish giants for his signature could prove to be difficult unless Emery decides to offer him a regular position from the get-go.
