A fraught 24 hours for Aston Villa ended with Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott joining on loan, but Unai Emery must decide whether to reinstate Emiliano Martínez as his No 1 after the goalkeeper did not depart before the deadline. Villa prioritised strengthening their attack but question marks surround Martínez, who wanted a fresh challenge this summer.
Villa, who also signed the Sweden captain Victor Lindelöf, have added the 25-year-old Sancho on a season’s loan while Elliott has joined on loan in a deal with an obligation to buy for £35m. The versatility of all three players is attractive to Emery, who was determined to add at least one attacking player to his frontline. Sancho, who has spent the past 18 months on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, rejected a move to Roma earlier in this transfer window.
Villa are expected to pay about 80% of Sancho’s wages. Chelsea paid a £5m penalty to United for reneging on an obligation to sign the winger at the end of last season.
Elliott was player of the tournament when England won the European Under-21 Championship this summer, scoring five goals. But he has struggled for game time and played once for Liverpool this season. In June Elliott said he does not want to be “wasting years” of his career and would consider his Liverpool future. He was limited to 18 Premier League appearances as Liverpool won the title last season, 16 of them as a substitute.
Martínez, who is now on international duty with Argentina before World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador, was willing to depart Villa this summer and while Manchester United had a loan inquiry dismissed earlier in the window, the club did not return with a second offer and instead favoured an £18m deal for Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp. Martínez was omitted from Villa’s squad for their chastening 3-0 home defeat by Crystal Palace on Sunday, a result which left Emery incensed.
The transfer windows in Saudi Arabia and Turkey remain open until a week on Wednesday and Thursday respectively but Martínez, who turns 33 on Tuesday, is not thought to be keen and Villa are yet to receive any bids. Martínez would need to be registered by 11pm on Tuesday in order to represent a club in the Champions League. Marco Bizot, signed this summer from Brest as a No 2, started against Palace in place of Martínez but conceded a first-half penalty, which resulted in the first of Palace’s three goals.
Lindelöf was a free agent after leaving United in the summer at the end of his contract after eight seasons. The 31-year-old defender, who can play at centre-back and right-back, has signed a two-year contract. Villa had been keen on a move for the 19-year-old Jaydee Canvot earlier in the window but the Toulouse centre-back joined Palace in a £23m deal.
