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Emiliano Martínez insisted that he took a step forward in his career when he left Arsenal for Aston Villa.
Martinez has been a revelation since joining Villa in a £ 20 million trade and his new club now dreams of Europe as he is sixth, three points off the top and one game behind leading Leicester.
But Arsenal are in the lower half of the table after Villa defeated them at the Emirates and Martinez’s decision to force a move in the summer currently looks like a good choice with clubs seemingly moving in opposite directions.
Martinez said: “Everyone said it was a step down in my career, but I always said it was a step up.
“When I decided to come to Villa it was because I trusted the coach and the ambitions of the club, and I knew how great Villa is.
“Some people don’t realize how big Aston Villa is.
“I said the first day that my ambition is to be in Europe with Aston Villa.
“I want to take this club as high as possible and we are on the right track. Can it be done this season? Yes. But we have to work for it.”
The 28-year-old Martinez became something of a cult hero among Arsenal fans after getting his shot at the team when top pick Bernd Leno was injured at Brighton in just the second game of Project Restart.
The Villa Martínez goalkeeper was flawless in his performances, he was a hero in his FA Cup success and many Arsenal fans thought Arsenal should retain him and sell Leno in the summer when it became clear that Mikel Arteta would have a hard time keeping him. both happy as each one wanted to be. No 1.
But Martinez has spoken for the first time about the emotional decision to leave Arsenal and how he ended up texting Gunners boss Arteta on the eve of the first game of the season to force a move.
(Image: Pool 2020)
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Martinez said: “I told him I wanted to play week after week and I couldn’t guarantee who was going to start.
“Even before the Community Shield I didn’t know who was going to play goal. I just wanted to play first team football and Arsenal couldn’t guarantee it.
“After 10 years at the club I didn’t want to wait until Friday night, the eve of the game, to find out if I was going to play against Fulham or not.
“So I texted him to tell him I was going to Aston Villa, so please help me and let me go.
“He was very honest and very open with me. It helped me leave the club after so many years. I have already said how grateful I am for that and how happy I am that he is doing well at Arsenal. I am so happy that he is the leader of the club ”.
(Image: Getty Images)
Did Emiliano Martínez take a “step forward” by leaving Arsenal for Aston Villa in the summer transfer window? Give us your opinion here.
Martinez became a hot property in the summer when it became clear that he could be on the move as the 6-foot-5 goalkeeper, who has already been called up by Argentina, with interest from other Premier League clubs and abroad as well. .
But as soon as Villa replaced him, Martinez never hesitated and revealed that they started courting him from the day after the FA Cup final. Martinez said Villa boss Dean Smith set his ambitions and believes the club is going places.
Martinez said: “I knew the ambitions of the club and the ambitions of the coach. They called me from the first day after the victory against Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
“What I like about this team is how we react after two losses, it’s not easy to react like that away from home against a team like Arsenal. Especially after having beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford. So they were in good spirits, but we were outstanding.
“We always say that we are a good young team, we have a lot of talent. We want to give them structure from behind and we have to give them clean sheets and something behind them because they are so good in the future.
“But it’s not just the attackers, but also the defenders, the way they play and show their commitment. So when we see the four forwards pushing the way they do, it gives the rest of us confidence and we try to give them confidence, so it’s a really balanced team. “
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