David Seaman thinks ex-Arsenal stopper is actually similar to Jens Lehmann

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Arsenal legend David Seaman thinks that Aston Villa stopper Emiliano Martinez is very similar to another former Gunners man in Jens Lehmann.

Few could have expected Bernd Leno’s injury at Brighton and Hove Albion in 2020 to have such a huge impact on the football landscape.

Then-Arsenal stopper Leno was taken off and on came Emiliano Martinez for a rare chance between the sticks for the Gunners.

Martinez excelled until the end of the interrupted 2019-20 season and, with Arsenal unable to offer first-team guarantees, he moved on to Aston Villa.

Martinez has gone from strength to strength ever since and won the World Cup with Argentina last year.

If Martinez didn’t get that chance in 2020, Lionel Messi may well have missed out on a memorable World Cup win.

David Seaman compares Emiliano Martinez to Jens Lehmann

Arsenal have been criticised in the past for selling Martinez but Mikel Arteta has seemed convinced by Aaron Ramsdale and now David Raya.

Martinez is shining for Aston Villa but he remains a rather divisive figure in terms of his on-field behaviour.

A known wind-up merchant, Martinez is quite the character and he was involved in a spat on Sunday afternoon.

Villa beat Brentford but one moment saw Neal Maupay run into Martinez, who fell to the floor before Martinez returned the favour and attempted to drag Maupay off the ground.

Maupay and Martinez both seem to love these kinds of moments and former Arsenal stopper David Seaman has now had his say.

Speaking on Seaman Says, the former England goalkeeper suggested that Martinez has a ‘short fuse’ – and compared him to another ex-Arsenal goalkeeper in Jens Lehmann.

“He is a bit like Jens Lehmann, Martinez,” said Seaman. “He’s got that really short fuse and, all of a sudden, he just explodes! Jens was known for that!” he added.

Some will remember Lehmann and Didier Drogba going through similar histrionics in 2006 as Arsenal and Chelsea clashed at Stamford Bridge.

Martinez does have an element of Lehmann in his game, from the winding up to the short fuse, as Seaman puts it.

Lehmann spent a brief period coaching Martinez at Arsenal in 2017, so maybe the Villa stopper has picked up a thing or two from the German.

Villa now find themselves in a Premier League title battle after a stunning run under Unai Emery, with Martinez no doubt desperate to ruin Arsenal’s own title hopes this season.