{
  "id": 2784450,
  "title": "Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez left out of Aston Villa squad amid exit talk",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/ollie-watkins-and-emi-martinez-left-out-of-aston-villa-squad-amid",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-23T12:08:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ollie-watkins-emi-martinez-left-120524664.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Aston Villa's manager Unai Emery has named a matchday squad for their Premier League opener against Brighton, leaving out players Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez. The decision to omit Watkins and Martinez has fueled speculation that both players may be on the verge of leaving the club. Watkins is being courted by Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, while Martinez has been linked with a move to Juventus in the past. Emery has stated that the club is interested in keeping Watkins, but has confirmed that bids for the England international have been made. Martinez, on the other hand, has been described as being out of match fitness following a recent return from a World Cup break. Emery has confirmed that Villa have plans in place should Martinez choose to leave, including the signing of Japan international goalkeeper Zion Suzuki from Parma.",
  "summary": "Watkins is being heavily linked with a move to Saudi Arabia while Martinez, who misses out due to a lack of match fitness, could also leave",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Brighton vs Aston Villa – Predicted lineup and team news",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/brighton-vs-aston-villa-predicted-lineup-and-team-news",
        "published": "2026-08-23T04:11:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}