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The Argentine does not regret changing the Emirates Stadium for Villa Park at the start of the 2020-21 campaign
Emiliano Martínez has insisted that moving from Arsenal to Aston Villa is a “step forward” in his career.
Martinez’s ten-year association with Arsenal came to an end when he completed a £ 20 million ($ 25 million) transfer to Villa on September 16.
The Argentine joined the ranks of the Gunners academy in 2010 before graduating from the senior team two years later, but ended up on loan six times between 2012 and 2020.
It wasn’t until Bernd Leno suffered an injury after the lockdown that Martinez got a chance to shine, and he quickly established himself as a cult hero among fans.
The 28-year-old was sensational between the sticks as Arsenal finished their final Premier League campaign strong and also made it all the way in the FA Cup, leaving Mikel Arteta with a selection headache before the new season.
The Spanish manager finally decided to stick with Leno as his number one when the German returned to full fitness, but Martinez was not prepared to stay and serve as a reserve goalkeeper any longer.
He joined Villa with a view to earning a regular spot on the Argentina national team, and he has no regrets about his decision to leave the Emirates Stadium.
“I’m in the best shape of my career and when I wasn’t sure of that playing time, I wasn’t sure if I would stay,” Martinez said. Sky sports. “I’m fighting to be the number one in Argentina, that’s my dream.
“Aston Villa is a huge club, I had no doubts about coming here. Everyone thinks it is a step back to go from Arsenal to Villa, but actually I think it is a step forward in my career.”
The former gunner dismissed any suggestion that he was happy to remain on the bench at the Emirates for the past decade, before outlining his ambitions to qualify for Europe with Villa ahead of a meeting with reigning Premier League champions Liverpool. on Sunday.
“People don’t realize how much I’ve been fighting to be on the bench. I had nine goalkeepers in front of me,” Martinez added.
“Once on the bench, I wanted to be number one. Once I got the number one jersey, and I wasn’t sure if it would stay, I said I’d go and be number one somewhere else.”
“My ambition has always been to try to be number one at Arsenal, going through their academy was not easy. People who speak outside of football don’t know anything about football.”
“I want to be in Europe with Villa next season. Everyone at the club thinks we can have a great season, which drives me to keep going. We have two wins on the rebound so we have nothing to lose against Liverpool.
“If you want to achieve something in the league, you have to beat the best, which is what we will try to do on Sunday.”
