'Too much energy' - Petr Cech explains why Arsenal's sale of Emi Martinez was right call despite World Cup winner's success with Argentina & Aston Villa

Martinez, who was once viewed as a possible heir to Cech at the Emirates, spent years struggling for opportunities in the Arsenal senior team. After a string of loan spells, he finally got his chance during Project Restart, stepping in for an injured Bernd Leno and delivering impressive performances. However, Arsenal opted to cash in on him for £20 million, selling him to Aston Villa in September 2020.

Since his departure from Arsenal, Martinez has enjoyed immense success, becoming a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022 and securing two Copa America titles. He has also played a crucial role in Aston Villa’s resurgence, helping them clinch a top-four finish in the Premier League last season. Despite his achievements, Cech insists Arsenal made the right call, pointing out that Martinez needed a fresh start to reach his full potential.

Speaking to Amazon Prime, Cech reflected on Martinez’s time at Arsenal and explained why he struggled to establish himself with the senior team despite being an academy graduate.

"You could always see his ability, but he had too much energy at Arsenal," the former Gunners shot-stopper said. "It wasn’t until he found a way to channel it into one direction that he really developed and went to the next level."

Despite leaving Arsenal, Martinez has never hidden his affection for the club. However, he previously voiced frustration over their lack of faith in him.

Speaking to Sky Sports in 2021, Martinez stated: "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.

"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."

Now a key figure for Aston Villa, Martinez continues to impress between the posts. This season, he has kept eight clean sheets in 38 appearances, demonstrating his consistency at the highest level. His next challenge comes in the Champions League, where Villa will face Club Brugge in the first leg of their round of 16 tie on Tuesday.