Petr Cech has defended Arsenal’s decision to sell a player who has developed into one of the best in the world since leaving the Gunners.
Emiliano Martinez spent a decade at Arsenal after joining the north London club’s academy in 2010.
The goalkeeper only made 38 first-team appearances for the Gunners, however, and was sent out on six different loan spells during a largely frustrating spell at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal eventually sold Martinez in 2020 and have since watched the Argentine establish himself as one of the best in his field following his £20m move to Aston Villa.
Martinez has been one of the standout goalkeepers in the Premier League over the past five seasons, helping Villa qualify for the Champions League.
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The 32-year-old has enjoyed even more success for Argentina, starring in their World Cup win in 2022 and helping his nation win two Copa America trophies.
Martinez was voted the best goalkeeper of the 2022 World Cup and last year’s Copa America, where he was awarded the Golden Glove for a third time.
Two Best FIFA Goalkeeper awards and two Yashin Trophies have also gone the way of Martinez, Argentina’s Footballer of the Year for 2024.
Given Martinez’s remarkable rise, the decision for Arsenal to sell the shot-stopper has been questioned – but Cech believes the player needed to leave the Gunners in order to go to ‘the next level’.
‘You could always see his ability, but he had too much energy at Arsenal,’ Premier League legend Cech told Amazon Prime.
‘It wasn’t until he found a way to channel it into one direction that he really developed and went to the next level.’
Ex-goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen rates Martinez as one of the ‘best players in the Premier League’ but has also defended Arsenal’s transfer decision.
‘It’s hard for me to name the best goalkeeper in the Premier League so I’m going to have to put it down to two,’ the former Bolton, West Ham and Wigan shot-stopper told Ladbrokes.
‘First of all, I have to go with Alisson. I’m a big fan of him; he just seems to be a monster in goal.
‘It doesn’t look like he moves quickly, and he doesn’t really look special, to be honest. But the way that big boy moves is unbelievable, and the saves he makes are just as good.
‘But the other one for me would have to be Emi Martinez, for Aston Villa. He’s right up there for me, and I can’t believe how good a move it’s been for him, to leave Arsenal and go to Villa.
‘Since then, he’s won the World Cup, the Copa America, and he’s played a huge part in getting Villa back into Europe.
‘I really do like him, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s great with the ball… he’s got everything, honestly. I love how commanding he is in his box – he’s aggressive when he needs to be aggressive.
‘He’s a great lesson to young footballers, as well. You know, before he signed for Aston Villa, he hadn’t played more than 20 games for a team, and he’d been on loan with six different clubs.
‘Obviously, he got his break in 2020, when Bernd Leno got injured for Arsenal, and he came in and won the FA Cup with them.
‘I think it was the best move for everybody, to be honest. If Arsenal didn’t fancy him as their number one, then the move was the best outcome, for sure.
‘But to go on and do what he’s done… it’s just a great lesson. I think it’s important for goalkeepers, when they’re young, to go and play as much senior football as they can, and obviously that’s what Martinez went and did.’
Martinez’s form has helped Aston Villa reach the knockout stages of the Champions League this season as well as the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.
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