Martinez is eighth Chelsea-Villa deal in four years
After Emiliano Martinez's move, BBC Sport looks at why Aston Villa and Chelsea have become one of the Premier League’s busiest transfer partnerships since 2022.
Chelsea and Aston Villa have engaged in a total of eight transfers between them since 2022, making them the Premier League pair with the most player exchanges in the past four years. The most recent deal sees Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez moving from Villa to Chelsea for an undisclosed fee. This follows Nicolas Jackson's transfer in the opposite direction last week.
Both clubs have significant financial relationships, with Chelsea paying Aston Villa a combined £163.5m for players since 2022, while Villa have spent £102.5m on Chelsea players. Despite the high volume of deals, both clubs insist their relationship is primarily transactional, driven by the pursuit of financial gain. BlueCo, the owners of Chelsea, and Villa's owner Nassef Sawiris have a close working relationship, having communicated directly over transfers during multiple windows.
While there is no evidence suggesting any rule-breaking, the frequency of these dealings has drawn scrutiny from some club executives.
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