Ian Wright admitted on BBC’s Match of the Day that he was ‘devastated’ when Arsenal sold Emiliano Martinez to Aston Villa where he is now thriving.
On Saturday, Martinez was Villa’s best player as he helped his side record a 1-0 win at Wolves, with Wright claiming that the once-popular Arsenal man has been a ‘fantastic signing’ for the Midlands club.
Villa are sitting in the top half of the Premier League table and if they win their two games in hand then they’ll move into the top three – Martinez has played a big part in this early success.
Wright shared his honest thoughts on the ‘very, very good’ player who has taken that form and confidence from Arsenal’s FA Cup win to Villa Park.
“Yes, he does [deserve credit, Martinez],” said Wright. “That’s four out of their five games that they have won away from home. He is the reason why.
“I was devastated to see him leave Arsenal but he wanted to be Argentina’s number one. When you look at what he has done for Villa, up until this point, he has got five clean sheets out of ten Premier League games.
“He is just a very, very good goalkeeper. Very strong hand. Goes down well to save [Podence’s shot]. Like I said, he has done brilliantly at Villa. It’s a fantastic signing and he’s helping them to win games.”
Given how Arsenal are performing this season, Martinez may find himself finishing above his former club at the end of the campaign.
Added with that, he may also keep more clean sheets than his former teammate – Bernd Leno – who has been putting in strong performances at the Emirates despite his side’s struggles.
At the end of the day, for Martinez’s long-term career, he made the right decision to leave Arsenal, whilst Mikel Arteta was also correct in backing someone like Leno who has served the club so well during these past few seasons.
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