Emiliano Martinez has revealed he was told he would have a 95% chance of starting Arsenal’s first match of the season by his now former manager Mikel Arteta.
The long-serving Argentine gave Arsenal a decade of service but it wasn’t until the final two months of his Gunners career that he was given a prolonged opportunity to establish himself as the club’s No.1 goalkeeper.
Martinez put together a string of sensational performances at the back-end of last season as he made the most of Bernd Leno’s absence through injury and played a pivotal role in Arsenal’s FA Cup wins over Manchester City and Chelsea at Wembley.
The 27-year-old kept his place for the Community Shield against Liverpool last month but with Arteta wavering over who to select against Fulham, Martinez took matters into his own hands and asked to leave.
‘I thought if I played well that game (against Liverpool), I would be No.1, but afterwards it still wasn’t clear who was going to start in the league,’ he told The Independent.
‘I was told that there was a 95 per cent chance I would start against Fulham [on the first day of the season], but I just thought, ‘why not 100 per cent?’ Something didn’t feel right. Everyone wanted me to stay, but that’s when I decided to go.
‘I wasn’t upset or emotional, I was proud I did it. When I arrived at Arsenal [in 2010], there were nine goalkeepers in front of me. Every year I had to prove myself, but I left as No 1. That was my story done there.
‘The following morning I texted Mikel [Arteta] and told him. I thanked him, I said I won these trophies because of the way he trained, the way he changed the team. I trust his process so much, he is incredible. [When he was a player], I always thought he was different.
‘It’s like with [Lionel] Messi, I don’t see him as a top player, I see him as a top coach. He’s got so much to prove and I wish him all the best. I will always love everyone at Arsenal, I will always be grateful, but it was time to say goodbye.’
Martinez subsequently joined Aston Villa in a £20million move and has been hugely influential in his new side’s impressive start to the new campaign, saving a penalty on his debut against Sheffield United and making several key stops in Sunday’s 7-2 hammering of Liverpool.
