Martinez and Garnacho keep swapping clubs without ever sharing a Premier League pitch

Chelsea goalkeeper Emi Martinez and winger Alejandro Garnacho have spent two summers orbiting each other at club level without ever sharing a Premier League squad, as a sequence of near-misses and crossed moves has kept the Argentina team-mates apart.

Martinez, who spent a decade at Arsenal before establishing himself as one of the world’s leading goalkeepers at Aston Villa, joined Chelsea in a £7.5m deal last month. Garnacho, meanwhile, moved in the opposite direction — leaving Stamford Bridge on loan for Villa Park this summer after a difficult year in west London.

The two had come tantalisingly close to linking up at Villa. In the summer of 2025, Manchester United sold Garnacho to Chelsea for £40m, and Martinez was simultaneously reported to be on the verge of a move to Old Trafford. That deal collapsed at the last moment, with United instead signing Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens. Garnacho then endured a tough debut season at Chelsea, scoring once in 24 Premier League appearances, before joining Villa on loan.

By the time Garnacho arrived at Villa Park, Martinez had already departed for Stamford Bridge — completing a neat, if frustrating, swap that left the pair no closer to sharing a domestic dressing room.

Martinez has made no secret of his admiration for the 20-year-old winger. When Garnacho earned his first Argentina cap in June 2023, the goalkeeper was effusive in his praise. “He is a very humble guy. He came to work; he didn’t talk a lot. He is very eager to play,” Martinez told TyC Sports. “The truth is that he’s a little treasure and I hope we can mould him so that he gives us as much as Angel Di Maria.”

Martinez’s first outing for Chelsea ended in a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday — a return to the club where he spent ten years before leaving for Villa. Garnacho, for his part, came off the bench in Villa’s 0-0 draw with Hull City on Saturday as he begins the task of rediscovering the form that made him one of the most exciting young forwards in the Premier League during his early years at Manchester United.

“I was looking for a club to get my confidence back, so I can try to become the player I was a few years ago in my first years at Manchester United,” Garnacho said after his loan move to Villa was confirmed. “This is an important club which is going up really quickly, so I can’t wait to get started here.”