Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been told that he sold one of the best players in the Premier League in the form of Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
The Gunners sold the Argentina international to Aston Villa for around £20m in September 2020 after he struggled to break into the starting XI at the Emirates Stadium.
Martinez played 38 times in all competitions for Arsenal during his decade at the club after signing as a youth player from Argentinian side Independiente in 2010.
The 32-year-old had six loan spells while at Arsenal before eventually leaving to try first-team football at Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Since then he has played 180 times for Aston Villa and been capped 40 times at international level, winning the World Cup with Argentina in 2022 and The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper in the same year.
And Premier League icon Jussi Jaaskelainen insists that Arsenal made a mistake by selling Martinez, who he rates as one of the best two goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Former Bolton Wanderers goalkeeper Jaaskelainen told Ladbrokes: “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.
“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.
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“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.”