Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been accused of selling one of the ‘best players in the Premier League’.
While the Premier League title continues to evade him, it is hard to argue Arteta has not been a success at Arsenal.
He lifted the FA Cup trophy in his first season back at the club and has turned Arsenal into consistent title contenders and a team capable of amassing 80 plus points in the Premier League.
If it had not been for Pep Guardiola’s record-breaking Manchester City side, Arteta may already have one or two league titles to his name.
Arteta has also been praised for changing the culture at the Emirates Stadium and getting rid of a number of bad influences on the dressing room and signing players more aligned to his and the club’s philosophy.
But not every transfer decision has been a success and Arteta has been told he sold one of the two best goalkeepers in the Premier League in Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez spent almost a decade at Arsenal but only made 38 appearances for the first-team and was sent out on six different loan spells before being sold to Aston Villa in 2020.
Since then, the 32-year-old has helped Villa qualify for the Champions League and starred in Argentina’s World Cup win in Qatar.
Given his performances for club and country, Premier League icon Jussi Jaaskelainen rates Martinez as one of the two best goalkeepers in the English top-flight alongside Liverpool’s Alisson Becker.
‘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.’
Bernd Leno was Arsenal’s No. 1 when Martinez was sold but Arteta signed Aaron Ramsdale to replace the German and then David Raya to replace the England international.
Arteta’s side drew 0-0 with relegation-battlers Everton at the weekend to remain third in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Liverpool.
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