Emi Martinez is an Aston Villa player. Though he hasn’t represented Arsenal all that much in terms of sheer appearances - just 38 games in total over 10 years - Emi’s acid-green outfit seems wrong. Like Olivier Giroud in a blue shirt after 5 seasons at Arsenal. Like Theo Walcott at Everton. Like Aaron Ramsey in a pinstriped Juventus kit.
Maybe it’s the recency of it all. Emi Martinez graced our colours a mere week ago. He put on the gloves to help Arsenal overcome Liverpool just last month. Seeing him in another shirt is like listening to Nirvana’s song somewhere in a cafe: a lounge version with a lead female singer which just sounds as phoney as a two-dollar bill.
Arsenal supporters’ barely-healed wounds following Emi Martinez’s departure and his heartfelt goodbye message were opened up again as the shot-stopper made his debut in Birmingham. He only had to make one stop all day but what a stop that was: denying John Lundstram from the penalty spot to give Aston Villa a platform for the eventual win. It was Emi’s first save of a kind in the Premier League.
Inevitably, Twitter went ka-boom in a matter of minutes. Villa fans thanked Arsenal for selling the goalie which might prove the difference between relegation and another season in the top flight, rival supporters teased the Gunners for letting the wrong goalkeeper leave (although Chelsea fans should definitely stay out of any goalkeeping debates, for obvious reasons). And Arsenal fans were left wondering what might have been.
Not all of them though. Many immediately brought Bernd Leno into the debate. It’s so easy to point out his flaws after a perfect Emi Martinez performance, isn't it? One of Leno's shortcomings was obvious even before Emi set foot at Villa Park: aerial dominance. That’s perhaps the only aspect where the Argentine is head and shoulders above his former Arsenal counterpart (pun intended, of course).
But maybe it’s not the only aspect. There’s another, one that few fans would be willing to admit even to themselves. The supporters’ frequently-used line is that they want the best for the club. And it’s true; however, it also makes fans emotional. To me, this is where the problem lies with Martinez and the whole situation surrounding his exit.
It’s so easy to like the Argentine. He stayed at the club for 10 years and waited for his chance. When Leno was stretchered off in June, Emi stepped up big time and his red-hot form carried Arsenal to another cup win. We know all about his personal story, his poor background across the pond, his tough decisions, his hard work, his tears of joy at winning a trophy at Wembley.
Fans are an emotional bunch, even if they won’t openly say it. Connecting with Emi Martinez’s fairytale is much easier than backing Bernd Leno. The German will always be viewed as something of a gun-for-hire, a foreigner. Fostering a link with fans for someone as emotionally-charged as Martinez is much easier.
We don’t know what exactly went on behind the scenes and why Martinez left so abruptly. The easiest and most logical route to take is that Arteta couldn’t guarantee him the number 1 spot and Emi just wouldn’t settle for less. It might also be that the Spaniard was prepared to roll the dice on the Argentine and make him first-choice but no offers for Leno were made in the coronavirus-stricken market.
However, here’s an unpopular opinion for you: backing Leno over Martinez if it comes right down to it was a sensible decision to make. There are simply too many unknowns about Emi, things we cannot predict. Was he in red-hot form or is it the real level of his ability? How will he perform with fans back in the stands? What will his reaction to high-profile mistakes be? Where was he before June this year if he is that good?
God knows we had too many underwhelming goalkeepers since Jens Lehmann left in 2008, yet Emi was not trusted much at any point since joining in 2010. Was he tremendously unlucky or was he simply considered not good enough at a time when the likes of Fabianski and Szczesny were dropping clangers every other game?
Bernd Leno, for all his shortcomings - of which there really aren’t many - is a proven goalkeeper. He has made almost 400 club appearances at senior level. He has been nearly faultless for almost two seasons at Arsenal, a shining beacon of light on a ship headed for crash course under Unai Emery. In fact, just this season he was voted as runner-up for Player of the Season by Arsenal fans - behind only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
In a summer when Arteta needs to steady the boat and build a solid foundation for the future, at a time when the Spaniard went all-out for the 32-year-old Willian, extended Luiz’s contract and prefers Lacazette to Nketiah - even though the former seems to be on the market - rolling the dice on Martinez in goal would have been too much of a gamble.
Finally, there’s another side to consider when we discuss Arteta’s preference for Leno: meritocracy. Arteta picks his players fairly and he trusts them until he’s proved otherwise. Bernd Leno was first-choice when Mikel joined and Emi Martinez only got his chance because the German sustained an injury. What message would it have sent had Leno lost his place after just one month on the sidelines through no fault of his own?
If you think I’m somehow happy that Martinez left or that I condoned his exit at any point, you are wrong. It is with a heavy heart that I write about this. I’m just as emotionally-attached to Emi as any other fan. I’m contemplating taking a points hit in fantasy football just to bring him in. I’ll avidly follow his time at Aston Villa. I’ll be genuinely happy if he gets a move to a big club in a couple of years - just as I’m truly sad he’s left Arsenal.
I knew this summer would bring unpopular decisions in an attempt to outsmart the market and do the business Arsenal need to get done. Freddie Ljungberg, Emi Martinez, Lucas Torreira most likely, are all people I’d have liked to keep at the club. Just as I’d like to keep Rob Holding and Calum Chambers, one of whom is staring at the exit door, I suspect.
However, when push comes to shove, I think Arsenal made the right decision to put their trust in Bernd Leno. Even though the child in every one of us would have liked the situation to be the complete opposite.
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