Chelsea and Aston Villa have agreed two deals in opposite directions. Emiliano Martínez is moving from Villa Park to Stamford Bridge for around £7.5m, while Nicolas Jackson goes the other way in a transfer worth up to £65m. For FPL managers this is one of the more important stories before today’s 6.30pm deadline.
Jackson’s move is done: he has completed his medical and signed. Chelsea receive around £47.5m up front, with add-ons taking the total to £65m (Sky Sports). Martínez is set to sign a two-year contract with the option of a further season (ESPN).
Why a World Cup winner is leaving after six years
Martínez spent six seasons at Aston Villa and became one of the club’s emblems. He turns 34 next week, but the immediate reason for the exit is different: Villa signed Zion Suzuki from Parma for around £30m earlier this month and the Argentine stopped being first choice.
Our data backs that up. Martínez played no minutes in Gameweek 1 — Marco Bizot started in the Villa goal. Notably, Suzuki did not play either, so the pecking order in that goalmouth is genuinely unclear right now.
Jackson returns to the Premier League to replace Watkins
The 25-year-old Senegal forward scored 30 goals in 81 games for Chelsea and spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich. He arrives as the successor to Ollie Watkins, who is heading to Al Hilal — a thread we covered yesterday, when Watkins was the fourth most-sold player of the week.
What it means for your squad — today, before 6.30pm
Watkins: if you own him, this is the last call
Watkins is still owned by 8.1% of managers and rates 85 with us, but he has not played a minute this season and his club has just signed a replacement. This is no longer a risk call — he is leaving the league. If he is sitting in your squad, today’s deadline is your last chance to act.
Yesterday we wrote that this was the case where the crowd was right and our model was not: a rating of 85 describes an Aston Villa striker from previous seasons, not a player mid-transfer to Saudi Arabia. Today that thread closes.
Goalkeepers: two names to check
Emiliano Martínez is owned by 4.1% and rates 68. He did not play in Gameweek 1 and is now changing clubs — a straightforward decision for owners.
The other side is more interesting. Robert Sánchez (£5.0m, rating 69, 2.3% ownership) played the full 90 for Chelsea on opening weekend — and his is the place the World Cup winner is arriving to take. If you hold Sánchez as a cheap goalkeeper, his security just dropped. Our goalkeeper guide covers the alternatives at the same price.
Jackson: rated 20, and the same explanation again
Nicolas Jackson carries a rating of 20 with a sell verdict and 0.3% ownership. This is the third time this week we have had to repeat the same caveat — after Delap and Marmoush.
That rating does not say Jackson is a poor striker. It says he has no minutes this season, because he was not playing at Chelsea, and our model counts proven output. Once he starts for Villa, the rating will climb by itself.
When Jackson becomes interesting
Not today. Villa do not play until Monday, against Arsenal — the only fixture of the round rated at maximum difficulty for both sides. It is Gameweek 3, away at Hull, where the schedule opens up. If you are thinking about Jackson, next week is the natural moment, once you can see how much he actually plays.
At Chelsea nothing changes outfield: João Pedro (rating 88, 67.6% ownership) remains the first-choice striker, while Rogers (89) and Palmer (83, 13 points in Gameweek 1) are the strongest assets ahead of Sunday’s home game with Brighton.
One more Villa change worth noting
A flag slipped through in the rush of transfers: João Gomes is suspended until 19 September. Ownership is low, but if you happen to hold him, he will not feature for the next few gameweeks. The full list is in our Injury Centre.
How much time is left
The Gameweek 2 deadline is today at 6.30pm, and the transfer window shuts at 11pm on 1 September. If the clubs announce before this evening, the game may move both players today — but neither Martínez nor Jackson can help you this round.
Status as of Friday 28 August: Jackson’s move completed after a medical and signature, Martínez agreed ahead of formal confirmation. Sources: Sky Sports, ESPN, Yahoo Sports. Engine numbers are from Friday morning — worth checking again before the deadline.