Southampton dealt Aston Villa their fifth-straight defeat on Friday, but Tottenham transfer target Emiliano Martinez impressed Michael Brown on BBC Radio 5 Live (5/11, 20:35).
Villa travelled to St Mary’s seeking to address a slump in form, but fell behind after three-minutes.
Adam Armstrong handed the Saints the ideal start, when he let rip a perfectly struck first-time shot from 20-yards out.
Armstrong’s shot flew into Martinez’s net after reacting first to Matty Cash’s attempted clearance. Leaving the Argentina and former Arsenal goalkeeper with no time to react.
But Aston Villa’s £17m star, Martinez, would respond in fine fashion later in the first-half to deny Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse.
The Villans stood off Armstrong and welcomed the striker to lay the ball up for the Saints captain to shoot.
Martinez, however, refused to be beaten again, and flew to get in front of the Englishman’s 34th-minute drive.
Tottenham target Martinez impresses in Aston Villa defeat
The 29-year-old produced another sublime stop in the 65th-minute to keep Che Adams out. Raising his left hand to tip the striker’s top-corner-bound header over the bar.
Martinez’s work – after the Independent reported Tottenham are considering a transfer – in Aston Villa’s net to deny Ward-Prowse particularly impressed Brown, who said:
“James Ward-Prowse hit it perfectly. It’s rising. Emiliano Martinez recovers well with good footwork. It’s a great one for the cameras with the old reverse arm. It’s a wonderful save.”
Tottenham will have noted Martinez’s sublime efforts to deny Ward-Prowse and Adams, as they asses a potential transfer for the Aston Villa goalkeeper.
Spurs Managing Director Fabio Paratici is a big fan of the Argentine as he searches for Hugo Lloris’ eventual replacement.
But any deal for the 12-cap international would be difficult, as he is a hugely popular member of the Villa squad and central to the club’s long-term plans.
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