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Former Gunners goalkeeper traded Emirates for Villa Park in £ 20m summer deal
Emiliano Martínez has revealed that he asked Mikel Arteta in a text message to allow him to join Aston Villa after failing to get the guarantees he needed that he would be Arsenal’s No. 1 this season.
The Argentine goalkeeper returned to his old club for the first time Sunday night after his £ 20 million ($ 26.5 million) move to Villa Park and helped his new team to a convincing 3-0 victory.
It was Martinez’s fourth clean sheet in seven games this season and his departure in the summer continues to be a source of frustration for many Arsenal fans, who believe the club should have done more for him to stay.
But speaking after Sunday night’s game, Martinez opened up about his decision to leave after more than 10 years in North London and revealed that he was determined to move on as he couldn’t get past Bernd Leno in the order. Hierarchical at Arsenal despite his excellent form during the final months of last season when he replaced the injured German stopper.
“I told [Arteta] I wanted to play week after week and couldn’t guarantee who was going to start, ”said the 28-year-old.
“Even before the Community Shield, I didn’t know who was going to play goal. After 10 years at the club, he didn’t want to wait until Friday night, the eve of the game, to find out if he was going to play Fulham. [on the opening weekend] or not.
“So I texted him to tell him I was going to Aston Villa, so please help me and let me go.”
Martinez traveled to Birmingham as Arsenal beat Fulham at Craven Cottage in the first weekend of the Premier League campaign and shortly thereafter completed his move to Villa Park.
The popular goalkeeper insists he has no grudge for not eliminating Leno in the battle against Arsenal’s No. 1 and has thanked Arteta for allowing him to leave when the opportunity arose.
“He was very honest and very open with me,” said the goalkeeper. “It helped me to leave the club after so many years.
“Obviously I have ambitions and he couldn’t avoid the ambitions that I wanted, so we had a clear conversation. He is a very honest man and a great leader.
“I have already said how grateful I am for that and how happy I am with how well he is doing at Arsenal. I am so happy that he is the leader of the club ”.
Martínez added: “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 was.
“Some people don’t realize how big Aston Villa is. Everyone said it was a step down in my career, but I always said it was a step up.
“They called me from day one after the victory against Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
“I just wanted to play first-team football and Arsenal couldn’t guarantee it. They didn’t say I was going to play the first game of the season against Fulham, so when I had that question I had to leave. And Villa was the first option and the only one for me ”.
