Mikel Arteta's surprise Emi Martinez admission speaks volumes as Man Utd end transfer hunt

Mikel Arteta’s admission about Emiliano Martinez spoke volumes about the goalkeeper’s quality long before his Manchester United transfer fell through. The Aston Villa shot-stopper, 32, was linked with a deadline-day move to Old Trafford following error-filled performances of their existing options, Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana.

Martinez appeared to be gearing up for a move at the end of last season. He broke into tears while acknowledging the Villa fans following the last home game of the season against Tottenham. Despite links to the Saudi Pro League, he did not secure a transfer in the summer and played the full 90 minutes against Brentford last week.

Martinez was then left out of the Villa squadon Sunday night as Unai Emery’s men fell to a 3-0 defeat against Crystal Palace amid speculation that he wanted to join the Red Devils. However, it emerged on Monday that United had opted to sign Senne Lammens for £18.2million instead, thereby ending their pursuit of the Argentine international.

READ MORE: Why Man Utd pulled out of Emi Martinez transfer race after agreeing £18.2m deal

READ MORE: Man Utd's top deadline day target thinks Ruben Amorim has sold 'a little treasure'

It is understood that their decision to sign the relatively unknown Belgian, 23, on a five-year deal over the experienced Martinez was due to his younger profile. Martinez would also have cost United twice as much as Lammens and would have demanded wages in the region of £200,000-a-week.

It marks a disappointing turn of events for Martinez, who is now well into his 30s and would have hoped to earn a move to a traditionally big club. Villa signed Martinez from Arsenal five years ago, and ever since, he has enjoyed a turn in fortune.

Martinez had spent a decade at Arsenal, undertaking six loan spells elsewhere, before finally being handed a sustained run in the first team last season following an injury to regular first-choice goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Though the Argentine impressed in the top flight and was a key member of the side that won a record-extending 14th FA Cup title at Wembley, he was allowed to leave for Villa in a £17m deal in September 2020, with Arteta keeping Leno as his No. 1 option between the sticks.

But Arteta later made the surprising admission that he had, in fact, wanted to keep Martinez, only selling him for financial reasons and the goalkeeper’s desire to be guaranteed game time, not having to compete for the No. 1 shirt.

Arteta said ahead of a November 2020 fixture between Arsenal and Villa, which marked a reunion with his former player: "He had a career of 10 years here. It wasn't just the last six or eight months. You have to look at everything he did through his time at the club.

"Obviously, it wasn't in my plans to sell him, but we gave him the chance because he deserved it. He performed really really well but we have to balance the books. We have to make the right choices in the market and obviously, I couldn't guarantee him to be the number one.

"He's a very ambitious person, he has been working really hard and he can see now that the opportunity is there. He's got the opportunity to play with Argentina and when a player asks you to do that I think you have to be open enough and tell him what you think about him.

“If he makes the decision to leave, you should try to support him because he deserves it for the way he has served the club over the years.”

Arteta’s words showed how highly he rated Martinez, who, aside from last season’s Champions League run with Villa, has not enjoyed a huge amount of success at club level despite his reputation as one of the world’s best goalkeepers.

That’s in contrast to his international career with Argentina, where he is regarded as a legend after playing pivotal roles in two Copa America wins and one World Cup triumph. He made an extraordinary save in the World Cup finalto deny France a victory in the final seconds, while his penalty shootout heroics have saved his nation on a number of occasions.

Those feats have earned him worldwide acclaim, such as winning the prestigious Yashin Trophy two years in a row and being named on the list of Ballon d’Or nominees. With his future at Villa Park still unclear, Martinez will wonder if he will ever get the chance to compete for the Premier League and the Champions League.

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.