Garth Crooks wrote on his column on BBC Sport about former Arsenal star Emiliano Martinez.
The Argentine spent a decade at the Emirates but hardly ever played. He finally got his chance at the end of last season, and he grabbed it with both hands. Martinez helped us win the FA Cup and the Community Shield in his final two games for us.
He became a huge fan favourite and some supporters even claimed that he is a better goalkeeper than Bernd Leno. Mikel Arteta wasn’t really of that opinion, and the Arsenal boss chose to stick with the German in the summer.
That left Martinez with no choice but to consider his options. The former Independiente man joined Aston Villa for £17 million (BBC) in the summer, and he has been a huge hit.
The Argentine came up with another incredible performance this weekend, and he made Crooks’ team of the week. The BBC pundit still seemed puzzled as to why Arsenal cashed in on Martinez instead of Leno in the summer.
He wrote: “The save from Daniel Podence with Emiliano Martinez at full stretch was impressive but it was the instinctive stop from Leander Dendoncker that made me once again question whether Arsenal were wise to let this goalkeeper leave.”
“Martinez looked impressive when he came in for the injured Bernd Leno prior to leaving the capital. However since his arrival at Villa Park the Argentine keeper has been outstanding and a valuable addition to a young team going places.”
Martinez has certainly proved to be a valuable addition to Dean Smith’s side. Villa have started the season in tremendous fashion. They are just five points off the fourth spot, and they look like they are capable of beating any side in the league.
Arsenal fans have no hard feelings towards Martinez, but many feel Arteta should have let Leno go instead. However, the only offer that came in was for the Argentine, and letting him go was the best option for all parties involved.
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