Emiliano Martinez was named in Chelsea's starting lineup for Sunday's Premier League clash with Brighton at Stamford Bridge, just hours after his £7.5 million transfer from Aston Villa was confirmed by the club.
The Argentina international's arrival caught many by surprise, given that Chelsea had spent the summer suggesting they were satisfied with their existing goalkeeping options in Robert Sanchez and Mike Penders. Yet with the transfer window's Tuesday deadline fast approaching, manager Xabi Alonso opted to hand Martinez an immediate debut rather than ease him in gradually.
Penders, who had started in midweek Carabao Cup action against Luton, was named among the substitutes, while Sanchez was omitted from the matchday squad entirely. The Spaniard, who has endured a difficult run of high-profile errors, now faces an uncertain few days as the transfer deadline looms.
Alonso's team selection also saw Enzo Fernandez left out of the squad once again, with speculation continuing over a possible move to Manchester City before Tuesday's cutoff. Reports suggest Chelsea are holding out for a fee in the region of £120 million, and it remains to be seen whether City are prepared to meet that valuation. With Fernandez unavailable and Moises Caicedo still recovering from injury, Alonso turned to Malo Gusto and Romeo Lavia to anchor the midfield.
Martinez's switch to Stamford Bridge also came with a symbolic touch, as Chelsea confirmed he would wear the number 26 shirt — a number with deep resonance at the club, most closely associated with club legend John Terry. The shirt had lain dormant following Terry's departure in 2017 until Kalidou Koulibaly took it up five years later, with Levi Colwill later wearing it for a season before moving to number six. Aside from Terry's lengthy tenure, only a handful of players — including Laurent Charvet, Neil Clement, Michael Duberry and Andy Dow — have worn the number during the Premier League era.
Martinez himself is no stranger to that number, having originally worn it upon joining Aston Villa from Arsenal before switching to number 23 for his final two seasons at Villa Park. He also wears 23 for the Argentina national team, though that number is already taken at Chelsea by Caicedo, while Sanchez retains the number one jersey despite his apparent fall down the pecking order.
Speaking after putting pen to paper on a three-year contract, Martinez expressed his excitement at the move. "I'm delighted to be at this football club," he 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."
The goalkeeper, who has spent close to 17 years in England, added: "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."
He also reflected on the whirlwind nature of the deal, saying: "It's incredible. It's been an amazing few days. Obviously, it happened really quickly, but I'm delighted to be at this football club. I've been in England for nearly 17 years and to play for Chelsea is a dream for me. I'm just over the moon and can't wait to get started."
Chelsea lined up against Brighton with Martinez in goal, protected by a back line of Fofana, Lacroix and captain Colwill, with Neto, Gusto, Lavia and Hato completing the midfield, while Palmer and Rogers supported Joao Pedro up front.
Based on reporting from Independent Football and Standard Football.