Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez opens up on Gunners exit

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has revealed that he left Arsenal due to a lack of trust shown in him by the club.

Martinez came through the ranks at the Gunners after joining from Independiente in 2010 as a 17-year-old.

“I love everything about Arsenal,” Martinez told Sky Sports. “I still love them and I’m still watching the games, but I just felt like they didn’t trust me like they should have.

“That’s the reality because they kept buying goalkeepers to go in front of me and I was the goalkeeper from the academy.

“When I was on a high, I still felt like they didn’t deserve me because of the way they were treating me. They couldn’t guarantee me the games I needed so I thought that if they couldn’t guarantee me the games I needed, then I’m moving on.

“They didn’t say to me that I wasn’t going to play, they just didn’t guarantee me the games that I wanted to play.

“So, after 10 years, I decided to leave, and it was very difficult. My family didn’t understand why I was leaving when I was at such a good level at Arsenal, but it was my decision to leave and I’m really proud I did it.

“It was a gamble, but I always believe that if you stay in the comfort zone, you will never reach anything in life. I decided to take the step up.”

It could be argued Martinez was justified in making the move, as Aston Villa are two points ahead of Arsenal in the table and have a game in hand. And has kept 13 clean sheets in the Premier League so far.

Villa face Wolves and Newcastle over the next seven days and positive results would keep them in the mix for European qualification.