I was told there was '95 per cent chance' of being Arsenal No 1 this season, claims Martinez

Emiliano Martinez claims he was told there was a "95 per cent chance" he would be Arsenal's starting goalkeeper this season.

Despite his claim, Martinez did not find himself the Gunners' No 1 to begin the season and quickly moved to Aston Villa in a £20 million ($25m) transfer.

Martinez joined the Gunners in 2010 from his first professional club Independiente and spent much of his time at Arsenal on loan.

After Bernd Leno was injured near the end of the 2019-20 season, however, Martinez finally stepped in as No 1 and performed well while helping the Gunners win the FA Cup in August. 

“I was finally the No1 and I was ready for it," Martinez told the Independent. "It took 10 years to get there. You train as a goalkeeper every day, but nobody prepares you for the story of your life.

"Nobody trains you to be frustrated, nobody trains you to cry. What about when you don’t play for four months? Will you keep going or will you be mentally dead? I could’ve done so much more over the years, but finally the world started to see what I’m capable of."

Martinez featured against Liverpool in the Community Shield in August and helped Arsenal lift that trophy, their second piece of silverware clinched at Wembley in the space of a month.

The 28-year-old felt that after he played well against Liverpool he could have a shot to overtake Leno as Arsenal's starter, and was told as much leading into the team's Premier League opener at Fulham. When he was not the starter in that match at Craven Cottage, he decided it was time to leave the Gunners.

“I thought if I played well that game [the Community Shield], I would be No.1, but afterwards it still wasn’t clear who was going to start in the league," Martinez said. "I was told that there was a 95% chance I would start against Fulham, but I just thought, ‘why not 100%?’ Something didn’t feel right. Everyone wanted me to stay, but that’s when I decided to go.

"I wasn’t upset or emotional, I was proud I did it. When I arrived at Arsenal, there were nine goalkeepers in front of me. Every year I had to prove myself, but I left as No.1. That was my story done there."