Unai Emery picks Emi Martinez replacement: World’s best young keeper heads to Aston Villa

Robin Bairner

• 24 May 2025 05:05 CDT
• 3 min read

Analysis

Aston Villa have lined up the world’s best young goalkeeper to replace Emi Martinez when the World Cup winner is sold during the transfer window.

Martinez is expected to depart Villa this summer after five years at the club. A decision has been made to move the 32-year-old on following a tricky campaign in which he has not been at his best.

The World Cup winner has been linked to various clubs, with Manchester United and teams in the Saudi Pro League among those to follow the shot-stopper.

Current ETV

Emiliano Martínez

GK

Aston Villa

Emiliano Martínez

GK

Aston Villa

€17.5M

ETV Range

€15.7M - €19.2M

View full profile

While it will be a disappointment to see a popular player depart, the player that Unai Emery has lined up for the Aston Villa No.1 spot is a highly talented replacement.

Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier has been lined up by Aston Villa to replace Martinez, with Sky Sport reporting that the Birmingham club have their eyes fixed on the 23-year-old, who won Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year ahead of PSG’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.

While no transfer fee has been suggested, Man Utd were eyeing a deal for Chevalier in the region of €40m back in March. Barcelona have also been linked with a potential move for the France U21 keeper.

How good is Lucas Chevalier?

Chevalier is the best goalkeeper aged 23 or under in the world, according to SciSports, which rates players based on thousands of in-game data points.

The Lille keeper, who has experience in the Champions League this season and was in goal as the Ligue 1 side notably shocked Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, comes out ahead of Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford. Brighton’s Bart Verbruggen is third.

Like Martinez, Chevalier is a confident and eccentric goalkeeper who excels when it comes to shot-stopping. Over the course of the season, he was worth more than six goals to Lille, who narrowly missed out on the Champions League spots in Ligue 1.

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