During his time at Arsenal, Emiliano Martinez was an incredibly popular figure around the Emirates Stadium, a goalkeeper who was highly-regarded but never handed the number one spot.
Martinez spent a decade at Arsenal, but only made 38 senior appearances for the club given that he was often out on loan.
Of course, Martinez was in net for Arsenal’s FA Cup win under Mikel Arteta, which remains the Spaniard’s only piece of silverware since taking the reins in 2019.
Arteta then had to make a tough decision between keeping Martinez and promoting him as number one, or to keep faith with Bernd Leno, which he ultimately decided to do.
A year later Arsenal bought Aaron Ramsdale, and now they’ve finally settled on David Raya as their long-term number one.
Arsenal fans mock Emi Martinez after ‘trying so hard’ against former club
It’s probably a bit too convenient to suggest that Arsenal should regret their decision to sell Martinez given that he’s made so much progress after leaving the club.
But Arsenal fans on X certainly had a lot to say about the goalkeeper during their 2-2 draw with Aston Villa, a shot-stopper who is now regarded among the world’s best.
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Owing to his antics over the years against Arsenal, Martinez is now seen as more of a villain on his visits to the Emirates Stadium, with fans enjoying his shortcomings on Saturday evening.
Martinez got a hand to both Arsenal goals, leading one supporter to write: “I love love LOVE how Emi Martinez gives Arsenal a goal every time he plays them these days.”
The tone was pretty consistent among Arsenal fans, who were relieved to see their former keeper have an off day in north London, even if he did still make some big saves.
Enjoying a few mistakes from their old stopper, another fan wrote: “Apparently Emi Martinez is the best goalkeeper in the world…”
One supporter then noted that Martinez always seems to make an extra effort against his old club, which didn’t pay dividends this time around.
They wrote: “Emi Martinez trying so hard against Arsenal to prove a point, and it resulting in him making mistakes, continues to be funny.”
Arsenal were right to sell Emi Martinez
Over the years, Arteta has been constantly told that Arsenal made a mistake selling Martinez.
But at this stage of their project, it’s very clear why Arteta preferred to seek a goalkeeper who was better-equipped with the ball at their feet.
Martinez truly is a world-class shot stopper, even if it didn’t have his finest 90 minutes against his old club this time around.
But the Argentina international is prone to making errors with the ball at his feet, something Raya simply can’t afford to do.
Martinez will continue to enjoy an excellent career, but he just wasn’t quite the right fit at the right time for Arsenal.
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