Football

Atrteta has no regrets over Martinez sale

Aston Villa's Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Aston Villa at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on October 18, 2020. (Photo by Rui Vieira / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. /

Aston Villa’s Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez during the English Premier League football match between Leicester City and Aston Villa at King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England on October 18, 2020. (Photo by Rui Vieira / POOL / AFP)

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he has no regrets in his decision to allow Emiliano Martinez leave the club.
Martinez has impressed since joining Aston Villa at the end of last season while backup goalkeeper Alex Runarsson continues to struggle at Arsenal.
Runnarson was to blame for Manchester City’s second goal as the Gunners lost 4-1 to the Citizens in the quarter final of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
The decision to sell Martinez to Aston Villa during the summer window divided opinion after the Argentinian ended last season in fine form.
He played a key role in the Gunners winning the FA Cup and Community Shield, while first-choice keeper Bernd Leno was injured.
However, Leno’s return to fitness saw him reclaim his place in the Arsenal line-up, forcing Martinez to make the move to the Midlands.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright admitted he was devastated to see Martinez leave the club, preempting the difficulty they are now facing.
“I was devastated to see him leave Arsenal, but he wants to be Argentina number one,” he said earlier this month.
“He has done brilliantly at Villa and he is helping them to win games.” Arteta replaced his back-up keeper with former Dijon stopper Runarsson, but he endured a difficult night as the Gunners crashed out of the Carabao Cup against Man City.
The Iceland international allowed a Riyad Mahrez free kick to squirm through his hands in the 4-1 defeat, on another miserable night for Arteta’s side.
Runarsson was forced to delete his social media account following the loss after intense criticism from supporters, but Arteta defended his summer business.
Asked about selling Martinez, he said: “There’s no point having any regrets.
“There’s different reasons why we had to do that transaction. We did it and it’s a part of the past.
“He had a really good few months last season and he really helped us and obviously when our goalkeeper makes an error, these things are going to come up.”
“We decided to play him tonight for many reasons and that responsibility is for all of us.”