Wolves have let their fair share of talented superstars slip through the net and it has now emerged the Old Gold could have signed one of the world’s best goalkeepers for £10 million.
It must be one of the worst feelings in the world for a football club; missing out on a talent who goes on to become a world-beater elsewhere.
That was a narrative that played out when Wolves very nearly signed Ivan Toney for £500,000 in 2014 from Northampton Town but they pulled out of a deal as he failed his medical despite giving him a shirt number.
In 2022, a similar story unfolded when the Old Gold were close to signing Enzo Fernandez for £17 million from River Plate, only for the Argentine to join Benfica before sealing a British £106 million move to Chelsea a year later.
Unfortunately, the transfer blunders don’t stop there as Wolves could have signed one of the world’s best goalkeepers for £10 million.
Wolves nearly signed Emiliano Martinez for £10 million
Emiliano Martinez was sent out on loan from Arsenal, joining Wolves ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.
At this point, the Argentine had spent time out on loan at Sheffield Wednesday and Rotherham but failed to stamp his name on the number one spot at either club, amassing just 19 appearances across both spells.
The goalkeeper’s fortunes didn’t improve much when he was sent out on loan to Molineux with Martinez playing just 13 times in the Championship and keeping five clean sheets, though his game time wasn’t helped by a thigh injury.
Now regarded as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet at rivals Aston Villa, the 31-year-old has opened up on the time when Wolves almost signed him for £10 million.
Speaking to Ben Foster on Fozcast, Martinez said: “I remember when I was young, I had a loan from Wolves; Wolves offered £10 million to buy me.
“That was a long time ago, some big money. I thought ‘ooof, thinking about it, oh no no stay stay’, they signed Petr Cech. Like cheers, one of the best ever goalies in the Premier League so how can I; it was a massive climb to do it again. So there was always blocks on the way.”
How Emi Martinez compares to Jose Sa
It’s been almost a decade since Wolves missed out on signing Martinez permanently but the World Cup-winning shot-stopper didn’t truly come of age till he was snapped up by Aston Villa in 2020.
From rarely featuring at Arsenal to becoming one of the best keepers on the planet, Gary Neville has described him as “world-class” and it’s hard to argue against that claim.
Martinez has helped Villa qualify for the Champions League with some incredible match-winning performances and although Jose Sa has done similar for Wolves, the 36-cap Argentine would be a huge upgrade on the current Wolves No.1.
| 23/24 Premier League statistics | Emiliano Martinez | Jose Sa |
| Games played | 34 | 35 |
| Goals conceded per game | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| Goal prevented | 4.57 | 8.45 |
| Saves inside box | 68 | 89 |
| Clean sheets | 8 | 4 |
| Pass completion | 81% | 59% |
| Error led to goal | 2 | 3 |
| All stats via Sofascore |
Sa trumps Martinez for stats such as goals prevented and shots inside the box as Wolves will have faced more attacks than the Villans however, there is no doubt that Unai Emery’s No.1 is much better in every department, hence why he’s one of the world’s best.