Petr Cech opened up about life at Arsenal during an interview with Ben Foster, revealing all about one former teammate.
Arsene Wenger made some remarkable signings during his Arsenal tenure but, Cech was one of the more lacklustre acquisitions.
The former manager welcomed the Chelsea icon in 2015, paying Arsenal’s London rivals £10m for his services.
While Cech has been one of the world’s best during his career, his time at the Emirates followed the silverware-laden highs he had at Chelsea, having a questionable impact in N5.
Petr Cech makes Emi Martinez Arsenal revelation
Cech played three full seasons at Arsenal before being gradually replaced by Bernd Leno, who was signed in 2018.
As Leno arrived to replace Cech, there was another goalkeeper waiting patiently in the wings for his chance to shine, with that figure being none other than Emi Martinez.
The Argentine, who now has a World Cup to his name, left Arsenal permanently in 2020 as Mikel Arteta sold him to Aston Villa, with things never quite working for the shot-stopper at the Emirates.
Seeing what Martinez has won since leaving Arsenal, it’s puzzling to think why Arteta didn’t give the now 32-year-old a chance but, Cech has now revealed one reason behind the Spaniard’s decision.
“First of all, you could see Emi’s ability but I think he had so much energy and it went all over the place,” Cech told Ben Foster for Amazon Prime Video.
“I think then he found his way to channel all his energy in one direction and this is where I think he kicked on. You can see his transformation, how he does things, he gets rewarded for that.
“At the time when I was at Arsenal, he didn’t have that ability yet to focus in one direction and that’s why it took him a longer time. It’s amazing, if you keep doing the right thing and keep going, where it can take you.”
The Premier League legend credited Martinez’s inability to control his energy as one factor that broke down his Arsenal career, stating that the Argentine has addressed his flaw at Aston Villa.
Martinez says Arsenal didn’t trust him
Now a World Cup, two-time Copa America and two-time Yashin Trophy winner, Martinez is loving life away from Arsenal.
Despite being adored at Aston Villa and working well with Unai Emery, the goalkeeper hasn’t forgotten the Gunners, whom he spoke about back in 2021, a year after his exit.
“I love everything about Arsenal, I still love them and I’m still watching the games, but I just felt like they didn’t trust me like they should have,” Martinez told Sky Sports.
“That’s the reality because they kept buying goalkeepers to go in front of me and I was the goalkeeper from the academy.”
Martinez felt as though he was undervalued to some degree at Arsenal, making the decision to sign for Villa to further his career.
It’s certain that the Argentina international hasn’t looked back since his transfer, where he’s grown remarkably following his time at Colney.
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