When the rumor first began circulating in early August that Chelsea were interested in Porto's Diogo Costa, Xabi Alonso came out in defense of his goalkeepers, saying he was “very happy” with his current options. If he really was, he has clearly changed his mind. And it took just one game to do it. One performance from Robert Sanchez against Fulham on the opening weekend of the season was enough for the Spanish coach to realize that he would not get very far with his compatriot between the posts. Six days after that game, and four days before the transfer window closes, Emiliano Martínez arrived. Chelsea paid Aston Villa just under 9,000,000 euros for the Argentina international and, in theory, have finally found what they have been searching for for years.Fearless. pic.twitter.com/fwmjGNVs7S— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 30, 2026 The London club have struggled badly in the goalkeeper position for years, having failed to find an adequate replacement for Thibaut Courtois, who left the club eight years ago. A succession of managers tried to establish stability by rotating goalkeepers such as Edouard Mendy, Robert Sanchez, Filip Jørgensen and Đorđe Petrović, but none proved to be a long-term solution. The final straw was the Spanish goalkeeper's disastrous performance against Fulham. Despite making a couple of good saves, he reacted terribly to Fulham's opening goal (he did not cover himself in glory for the second either), while also displaying considerable uncertainty with the ball at his feet and constantly creating nervousness throughout the defensive line.Xabi's 2/2: Chelsea kick off EFL Cup campaign with 2-0 win over LutonThe Argentine goalkeeper's agents noticed it too. Just two days later, they offered their client to Chelsea, who had already been trying unsuccessfully for some time to engineer his departure from Aston Villa. At Stamford Bridge, they decided to set aside the club's transfer policy and, despite the fact that Martínez is already in his 34th year, bring him in. Perhaps not as a long-term solution, given that he has signed a two-year contract with an option to extend, but at least during that period Dibu should provide the team with stability and ensure that Chelsea's defenders no longer have to dread every cross or shot wondering how their goalkeeper will react.Xabi Alonso: Goalkeeper, now! – Aston Villa: Here, take Emi“I’m delighted to be at this football club,' Martinez said. 'Coming to Chelsea, for me and my family, was an easy decision to make and I’m just over the moon – I can’t wait to get started. I want to be successful here. I'm someone who wants to win at everything I do and I want to bring that here to this football club because it’s a football club that wins titles, so I think it’s a good match.'I’m all passion and I play with my heart. I will give 100 per cent every game, every training session to make the club, my teammates and the supporters proud” said the Argentinian.PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 2FridayCrystal Palace – Manchester City 1-4 (0-1)/Donnarumma 56 og – Haaland 17, 84, Cherki 54, 59/SaturdayLiverpool – Nottingham Forest 2-2 (0-1)/Isak 60, Munoz 82 – Ndoye 24, Gibbs-White 70 pen/Bournemouth – Everton 1-1 (1-0)/Scott 41 – Tarkowski 90+1/Coventry – Hull 0-1 (0-0)/Millar 82/Tottenham – Newcastle 0-2 (0-0)/Elanga 62, Wissa 72/Sunday16.00: (1.90) Chelsea (3.50) Brighton (4.10)16.00: (2.65) Leeds (3.20) Brentford (2.75)16.00: (2.50) Sunderland (3.25) Fulham (2.90)18.30: (1.38) Manchester United (4.80) Ipswich (7.30)Monday22.00: (6.25) Aston Villa (4.00) Arsenal (1.55)***odds are subject to change***
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