Lisandro Martinez ‘would have gone to Arsenal’ had Manchester United not stumped up a £57 million bid to bring Argentina’s World Cup winner to the Premier League last summer, Old Trafford boss Erik Ten Hag tells Voetbal International.
It was Ten Hag himself who pushed for Martinez’s arrival in July, at a time in which some at United felt that Villarreal’s Pau Torres would have represented a more suitable addition. But, with all due respect to Torres, Man United fans will be oh-so relieved that the club eventually bowed down to Ten Hag’s expertise.
Few players in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era have made a bigger or a better impression than Lisandro Martinez. An imperious defender – the World Cup winners’ body-on-the-line tendencies reminiscent of one Nemanja Vidic – Martinez is also a key cog in Ten Hag’s tactical gameplan too; his surgical, left-footed passes scything through opposition lines.
Arsenal tried to sign Lisandro Martinez before he joined Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United
“Whether I found it difficult to get Martinez away from Ajax? I had such a good time there, how we experienced the process together. From scratch, we brought Ajax back to the top of Europe. That project has been so dear to me,” explains Ten Hag, who claimed two Eredivisie titles alongside the World Cup winner in Amsterdam.
“But Martinez himself wanted to leave Ajax anyway. If we hadn’t taken him, he would have gone to Arsenal. They wanted him. He was top priority there.”
Edwin Van der Sar, Ajax’s chief executive, admits that ‘Arsenal came’ for Martinez last summer. Mikel Arteta’s Premier League leaders reportedly saw £26 million and £34 million bids rejected, United then blowing them out the water with an offer closer to £60 million (The Sun).
“Licha called me at one point (and said); ‘Coach, listen, I’m leaving Ajax anyway. I can sign with Arsenal but, if you want me, I’ll go to Manchester United’,” Ten Hag adds.
“Then I thought; ‘I shouldn’t shoot myself, and United, in the foot’. Then, we struck and it all worked out.”
Arsenal, it must be said, haven’t exactly struggled without Martinez in their backline. The Gunners have the joint-best defensive record in the Premier League this season; William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes going from strength-to-strength.
Arsenal are also looking to bring in some further depth in 2023. Eintracht Frankfurt’s Evan Ndicka is a leading candidate; the Frenchman out of contract next summer.
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