‘Really’, ‘what have you done Arsenal’: Some fans think Arteta and Edu have made a big mistake

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Arsenal controversially decided to sell Emiliano Martinez last year, a decision which some fans continue to criticise today.

The 29-year-old, who spent 10 years on Arsenal’s books, swapped the Emirates for Aston Villa in a reported £20million deal.

Martinez was a deputy for most his time at Arsenal, but excelled in the injury-enforced absence of Bernd Leno in the summer of 2020.

Indeed, the Argentine helped the Gunners win the FA Cup and Community Shield.

Arteta then had a dilemma, with Bernd Leno his then-established first-choice stopper and Martinez wanting first-team football.

As we all know, Arsenal chose to sell Martinez and keep Leno.

Obviously we have the benefit of hindsight now, but at the time it seemed a logical decision – Leno had been consistently solid for Arsenal, while Martinez was relatively unproven over a longer period of time.

But now, the two goalkeepers couldn’t be in more different positions.

While Leno has lost his first-choice role at Arsenal, Martinez is a Copa America winner and 2021 Ballon d’Or Yashin Trophy nominee.

Cue Arsenal, Villa and neutral fans having their say: