Emiliano Martinez has made his Chelsea debut today, 30 August 2026, after completing a £7.5m transfer from Aston Villa. The deal was confirmed on Sunday morning, and Martinez was swiftly named in the starting XI for Chelsea's clash with Brighton at Stamford Bridge.
Martinez, who signed a three-year contract, expressed his delight, stating, “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.” He 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.”
The move sees Mike Penders, who started in the Carabao Cup midweek, move to the bench. Robert Sanchez was not included in the squad and reportedly faces an uncertain period before Tuesday's transfer deadline. Enzo Fernandez was also omitted from the squad, with a potential move to Manchester City still being worked on.