Emi Martinez has once more sung the praises of Mikel Arteta, saying the 38 year old has changed the structure of the club since taking over from Unai Emery.
The Arsenal keeper played a huge part in the end of season success, deputising brilliantly after Bernd Leno was injured, and he was instrumental in the FA Cup semi-final and final.
He insists that his former teammate can become a leading coach in the game, and insists that he’s bringing new things to the team on the training ground each week.
“Arteta is a great coach, he changed the structure of Arsenal, he gave us a game plan,” he told Marca.
“He is one of the best modern trainers today. In six months he has won a title – the FA Cup, one of the best cups in England and one of the oldest in history.
“He’s very smart, in my opinion, he’s going to be one of the best coaches in the world.
“I have no doubt that he can lead the Spanish team. Guardiola said that at Manchester City everyone had learned from Arteta.
“In training we see that he has a clear idea of the game, he surprises us every day.”
Martinez has gone on the record recently to say his desire to play means he’ll consider offers from elsewhere, and he expanded on that somewhat, but said he’ll wait to discuss his future with the club when he returns from his break.
“I am in the crosshairs of 10 teams in Europe,” he continued.
“But I can’t say who those clubs are, because it’s nothing concrete. I still do not have the clear situation with Arsenal, when I have it when I return I will make the best decision for my career.”
Martinez sounds and acts like a goalkeeper. That quirkya rrogance that made Vd Sar, Schmeicherl, Lehmann, etc great. A gut feeling but man we need to keep him on.
I feel like this is a team that desperately needs big personalities and mentalities too. Leno is kind of the antithesis. Quiet and emotionless.
That’s why I’m actually leaning towards Martinez.
God I didn’t think I’d be saying that before Brighton away…
Martinez has bad distributions but he doesn’t let the ball get in, which is the main thing for a keeper. But if the second goal keeper is as good as him, he won’t be the No. 1.
“But if the second goal keeper is as good as him, he won’t be the No. 1.”
Now that’s a sentence to wrap your brain around.
He’ll be our number 2 keeper until he’s number 1
Because that’s how it works
???
???
Martinez is Arsenal 1st goalkeeper but not by default just like the other number 1, Leno.
Sorry for the typos lads!
It’s all right. We apply a bubble sort algorithm to our keepers and float them up from two to one
Am I the only one weary of Martinez’ constantly mentioning leaving. We get it, you played well for 10 games.
Can you blame him after waiting 10 years for his opportunity? I don’t see why he should be content with being relegated to the bench again. He wants to either start for us or carve out an opportunity elsewhere, and that seems fair enough to me.
He has finally got the big break in his career. His next chose is very important for he livelihood, I see no problem with him doing his best to be the no.1 either here or somewhere else.
Fellow David, you have one to keep. Who do you pick?
I think Emi’s size and big hands make him slightly better than Leno.
I don’t think there is much between them at the moment. I think both are really good keepers, but I do like Emi in goals.
I think we have improved alot with playing out from the back since he been in the team. Which is important to how Arteta wants to play.
goalkeepers don’t get subbed on at halftime or 70th minute for tactical reasons so his talk is very very understandable.
And I believe most of it is a response to a question but that’s how media works, you won’t read the question asked anywhere
Hes has played 10 games in a row, he has played well the whole season and beyond. If he can continue like this he should be number one, he is a more complete GK than Leno, in my opinion.
Emi played fantastically when called upon. I like his command of the box on crosses and his sure hands. I think he’s a little shakier on when to come out and when to stay home. Leno is a bit shakier on high balls but is fantastic at getting off his line and snuffing out danger before it becomes, well, dangerous. I think Leno is a bit better with his feet as well. On balance, I’d probably stick with Bernd.
Where has he constantly been moaning about leaving? He has stayed loyal to Arsenal for 10 years and has not once stated he wants to leave.
Yes.
Truth is that he has been underwhelming in his loan deals. No doubt that he has grown but needs to tone it down.
I hope he gets rewarded for that growth but 10 games is really not a large sample size.
And I love him
You can keep both happy.
Akin to cech losing his place to leno due to injury. I think leno would understand waiting for his opportunity again and playing cup and europa. Till martiniz naturally loses his spot due to a blip, if he does. Keep them competitive
He was superb in his loan spell at Reading, and the Reading fans desperately wanted to keep him.
For me he’s better than Leno and should stay number one, I would be really angry if he leaves.
If he left for a fortune, enabling us to further Artetas squad development, to my mind that would be fine. If he left for a pittance I would be angry.
of course if Ozil left enabling us to further Αrtetas squad development while enabling us to keep Martinez as well I’d he very happy.
No, we can rather sell Leno for a fortune and keep Emi.
I think you’re splitting hairs if you think Martinez is better than Leno. Statistically they’re both excellent. Maybe Martinez is slightly more commanding coming for crosses, but saying that, he has missed a few. Maybe Leno is slightly better with the ball at his feet, which will be important for Arteta. The major discernible difference between them is Martinez is a more outgoing personality, while Leno is more of a cool customer – the anti-Lehmann so to speak. Both personalities are good for goalkeepers. The real difference is that Leno has been consistent for Arsenal for 2 seasons, and before… Read more »
Starting price for top quality keeper – £ 50m. Form a disorderly queue.
Chelsea paid 70 million for Kepa and he’s awful. If Arsenal decide to cash in, they should try to get at least that much.
We won’t get money like that for a keeper who’s played 20 odd games of top flight football let’s be real. Anything north of £20 mill is the right ball park, we payed a similar fee for Leno and he was a top prospect in Germany with over 200 apps at the time for Leverksun.
Cries in Wojech
If it’s a straight shoot out and we need the money and to keep both happy then their values are Leno £35 Martinez £25 If we had to sell one I’d actually sell Leno. Martinez just commands and deters teams with the high ball this taking pressure of the centres halves and indeed Tierney in a back 3. With a new trio and Saliba plus a new cb cutting their teeth in the league last thing we want is teams trying to aerially bombard us. I think Martinez more so than Leno mitigates against that risk. In reality I would… Read more »
He couldn’t say anything else than positives really. If he’s to leave one day, he should be number one where he goes.
He should be #1 at arsenal
This is a real catch 22 for Arsenal and Arteta in particular. When Leno comes back fit do you stick indefinitely with the no1 till there’s injury or suspension? Or do you keep both keepers on their toes, whoever does better in practice gets to play the next game?
First option you’re going to have an unhappy no2. Second option might cause instability at the back.
They are both very good keepers, it may not cause a problem swapping them
They are top notch, the both of them, no doubt. As shot stoppers, they both equally high marks in my book. Emi maybe just shades it because he seems to be better at playing it out of the back.
But don’t you think there’s some science to the practice that most managers go by, i.e, stick with your no1?
Of course it would also help if we had a more cemented back 3/4 so that communication there would be more uniform.
How about letting each keeper know which games they’ll play (if fit) in advance of the season? Based on teams likely to aerial bombard (perhaps lower half teams) and give those to Martinez plus League Cup games and Leno gets the rest including Europa? Season after, the same but Leno gets CL and Martinez gets Europa.
Sell one of them for a large sum.
If the guy who stays with the club gets injured for 10 months, who do we have?
A bunch of really good young goal keepers headed by Macey and Hein, with a bunch of other really good young guys too. Trust the process just like Martínez has proven
we have a better outfield than the one before we sold a keeper, and an opportunity for someone else to step up.
If both of them stay next season, it would be fascinating to see the battle between our two top keepers.
Very rarely does a situation presents itself where both keepers are at their best, and at very similar stages in their careers, playing for the same club. And never has it happened in Arsenal, where in fact in recent years, we’ve actually had two keepers at their worst competing with each other.
Both Leno and Emi are great IMO (love them both). Only Arteta with his GK-crew knows who are the one for the future. But as an economist or a business you should think … if both are equally good, why not settle for the one who leads to the best economy for the club? … here I’m thinking of that Leno probably has the highest selling fee and Martinez has the lowest salary. I would go for Emi from that reason … if they are equally good?
Sell Leno and keep Martinez period! Leno did a lot of mistakes that was not expected from him sometimes…
Hahahahaha, are you serious? Lot of mistakes from Leno?? He was sadly our best player in most games he played. He has been outstanding for Arsenal. Every keeper has a bad day, but overall Leno has been great with the poor defence we got.
Mate just because he conceded goals doesn’t make them his mistake. I can’t remember a single goal that was conceded this season as a result of a goalkeeping error. Some of them were due to pitiful defending in the box and half assed clearances.
Do you remember Arsenal vrs Chelsea at the Emirates? How did Chelsea’s equaliser come about? Goalkeeper’s error! I give you only one because you asked for one.
That sounds to me like a guy who loves Arsenal, loves Arteta but ultimately wants out, because of the board’s small club mentality.
It’s time for a penalty shoot out for the no. 1 spot.
He was developed at Arsenal. Shame for a keeper who was developed since a young age should leave but seems to be the process employed by the club now. To sell off the ones who are not amortised in order to pay for free transfers with big signing on fees and don’t have resale value.
*agents fees
He’s a great keeper no doubt about that. To me he has to be patient with the club. I would advice Arteta to both of them on one game on and one game off. Because I don’t want us to lose anyone of them.
Sell Leno for 30 million get a solid unspectacular no2 like Fraser Forster in for feck all happy days.
That or A Tim Krul big experienced Fokker
Leno is a very good keeper. Martinez is better. End of!
He’s (Arteta) alright with tactics but management is so much more. 1) I don’t think he has the power to push on Raul. 2) Man management is mix. we haven[‘t been able to turn around Sokratis (one of our better Cbacks) or convince Torreira or keep an impetuous GUendouzi on side (if anything we should be holding on to him, send him out on loan instead of getting caught up in emotion) 3) As much as we won the FA cup we have finished no better than 8th given another half season and same players at disposal as with Emery.… Read more »
I hope we keep Martinez AND Leno for one more season before we sell one on.
His worth to be the first choice
Martinez all day long! A very rare thing to see nowadays. A keeper that actually wants to catch the ball!! Leno number 2
Finally a dominant and forceful keeper. I really like Leno and feel for him under the circumstance, but Emi just edges it with his feet and is a monster when crosses come in.
So love this guy, but in the cold light of day Leno is our number one, what I would say that no one has ever mentioned is Leno has done it home & away in front of large crowds, intimidating away supporters but has always kept his cool, Martinez hasn’t hes been playing in a reserve game scenario, although he hasn’t let us down this aspect needs to be reviewed, playing games in empty stadiums to playing away at Liverpool,Man U, Spurz is completely different and you shouldn’t forget Leno never let us down also. that’s why I am happy… Read more »
You’ll do great, Martinez– anywhere you find yourself.