Former Arsenal goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez, has recounted that the North London club did not trust him during his time at the club. The 28-year-old Argentine goalkeeper who spent 10 years at Arsenal lamented how Arsenal kept buying players which they rated ahead of him despite being a product of the club’s academy.
Arsenal brought in Emiliano Martinez on July 1, 2010, and he was placed under the youth system of the club and then sent on loan to various clubs including Sheffield Wednesday, Oxford United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Reading.
It became so bad for the Argentine goalkeeper that he only managed to make 38 appearances in his 10 years stay at the club. During those games, he conceded 41 goals and kept 16 clean sheets.
In the 2019-2020 season, Emiliano Martinez made 23 appearances in all competitions despite being second fiddle to Bernd Leno. In the Premier League, coach Mikel Arteta used him for 9 times and didn’t keep a clean sheet but conceded 9 goals.
When the Argentine goalkeeper couldn’t keep acting as a second fiddle at Arsenal, he decided to join Aston Villa for £17.40 million. He has been enjoying regular game time since he signed his 4 years deal with Villa.
So far this season, he has been a regular for Aston Villa. He has made 25 appearances in the Premier League, conceding 27 goals, and kept 13 clean sheets. He has made 26 appearances in all competitions which is the complete opposite of what he was getting at Arsenal.
“I love everything about Arsenal,” Martinez told Sky Sports. “I still love them and I’m still watching the games, but I just felt like they didn’t trust me as they should have.
“That’s the reality because they kept buying goalkeepers to go in front of me and I was the goalkeeper from the academy.
“When I was on a high, I still felt like they didn’t deserve me because of the way they were treating me. They couldn’t guarantee me the games I needed so I thought that if they couldn’t guarantee me the games I needed, then I’m moving on.
“They didn’t say to me that I wasn’t going to play, they just didn’t guarantee me the games that I wanted to play.
“So, after 10 years, I decided to leave, and it was very difficult. My family didn’t understand why I was leaving when I was at such a good level at Arsenal, but I decided to leave and I’m really proud I did it.
“It was a gamble, but I always believe that if you stay in the comfort zone, you will never reach anything in life. I decided to take the step up…
“When I signed for Villa, from day one I said it was a step up in my career and I want to qualify for Europe with the club. I don’t know if that is this season or next season, but that’s something I really want to do.”
Incredible away victory! 💪🏼 Clean sheet ⛔️@avfcofficial
— Emi Martínez (@emimartinezz1) February 27, 2021
Increíble victoria afuera de casa! 💪🏼 Arco en 0️⃣ #AVFC pic.twitter.com/fqGPRCef4v
