New Aston Villa goalkeeper Joe Gauci believes that a move to learn under World Cup winner Emiliano Martínez in a Premier League environment is the right step for his career as he pushes to supplant Maty Ryan as Australia’s first-choice.
Gauci, 23, was officially unveiled as a Villa player on the final day of the transfer window, crossing over from Adelaide United on a deal worth a reported €1.5 million, plus add-ons — a new Australian record.
The two-time Socceroo joins a Villan goalkeeping union featuring reigning Yashin Trophy and men’s World Cup Golden Glove winner Martínez, 71-time Sweden international Robin Olsen, and teenage English prospects James Wright and Sam Proctor.
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“It’s going to be something special [to work with Martinez],” Gauci told ESPN and AAP. “Having someone with that experience; he’s had to wait for his opportunity to be a No. 1, but he’s taken it with both hands.
“He’s playing at a high level for both club and country. So to see how he works from day to day and the output on the park and off the park. It’s going to be amazing to see.
“It’s the Premier League and these are world-class players. The things that they do from day to day are going to be amazing to say and I’m eager to listen and learn.”
The young keeper is under no illusions about the Argentina international being Unai Emery’s go-to man at Villa Park but is confident that his development will continue its upward trajectory in his new home.
Though eliminated in the Carabao Cup, his new side remains active in the FA Cup and the Europa Conference League in addition to their Premier League commitments.
“From all conversations, it’s been very positive,” Gauci said when questioned on his role. “I believe this step in my career is going to be a positive one. And all the conversations that I’ve had have been extremely positive about me and my role and the way that they see me progressing. For my career, that’s why I decided to go.
“Playing games is extremely important but this is also an opportunity to take my career and develop myself as a goalkeeper and take that to the next level.”
With Ryan nursing a broken cheekbone heading into the Asian Cup, Gauci made his sophomore appearance for the Socceroos in a pre-tournament friendly against Bahrain, where he kept a clean sheet in a 2-0.
Ryan was recovered enough to play every minute of every Socceroos fixture during the Asian Cup proper but, as he makes his Premier League move, Gauci is, respectfully, also eyeing taking the next step in green-and-gold.
“Maty has been Australia’s No. 1 for a long time,” he said. “But of course, I’m pushing, I want to push. I want to play. I want to play games. I had a taste of it against Ecuador and then the Bahrain game.
“Of course, I want to push Maty. And he wants me to push him. It’s healthy competition, competition for spots. And that’s what you want in a squad.”
Meanwhile, Gauci’s teammate Harry Souttar is resolving to put his best foot forward at Leicester City after failing to secure a move away from the King Power Stadium during the window.
Not in the plans of coach Enzo Maresca, the towering centre-back was linked with a move to the likes of Everton, Sheffield United, and Leeds United during the window but ultimately remained on the Foxes’ books come its closure.
“I’ll go back to Leicester, maybe not in immediate plans, but all I can do is go into training every day and work hard,” he told ESPN and AAP.
“I talked about it before about how important the group is within teams; not necessarily the starting XI, it’s the players that aren’t starting and maybe not in the matchday squad, how important they are.
“That’s been my job in the club season, going in there and giving 100% every day in training and supporting the boys that are playing and that’s all I can do.
“All my focus is, to try and get over [the disappointment of Asian Cup elimination]. Then I’ll be getting back to Leicester [on Saturday] and going into training on Monday with a smile on my face, seeing the boys and getting ready for the next game.”