The Athletic report that Emi Martinez could be on his way out of Arsenal this summer. Here are the main points from their report:
- Bernd Leno is still considered to be number 1 by Arteta and his coaching staff.
- Emi Martinez has expressed his desire to be a regular starter and thus Arsenal have little choice but to let him leave.
- Under Raul Sanllehi his price tag was set at £20 million, however, the Argentinian will expect it to be lowered because of the pandemic.
- Clubs in England and Spain are monitoring his situation, with Valencia and Real Betis interested the most.
- No official bids have been made so far, though.
- Arsenal will look for a number 2 in case Emi leaves - because Matt Macey only has a year left with no extension in sight.
While obviously far from ideal, we think the Gunners will get over Martinez's departure. Here's why.
1. We don't know how good Emi is over long stretches - unlike Leno
The German has been consistent for 2 years after joining and there's no doubt he can keep up his high level of performance. Martinez, while impressive over 10 games or so at the end of the season, still has it all to prove in the long run.
2. It's normal for your number 2 to be way below your number 1 in terms of quality
If you take a look at most PL clubs, they basically have training cones for backup keepers. Veteran Scott Carson is way worse than Ederson, same goes for the Alisson-Adrian pair and well, both Chelsea goalies are sh*t. United are the only exception with De Gea and Henderson but the situation is new for them.
3. Finding a backup goalie shouldn't prove too troublesome
Yes, we already have enough on our plate in terms of transfers but there are many goalkeepers you can get for decent money and who'll be ready to sit on the bench. Look at Adrian, Hart or even Vorm when he joined Spurs.
They can say all the right words about fighting for places and putting pressure on their counterparts but in reality everyone, including themselves, know that Alisson, Lloris and Ederson are untouchable.
4. We don't want dressing room unrest
While the situation of two players of the same quality slugging it out is ideal, if those two are goalkeepers, things get more complicated. They get even more so because we don't know Arteta's policy for keepers. Will he rotate them for cup and league games? Or will he pick one and stick with him for 50 games or so?
Martinez made many remarks about how he wants to be number 1 but what if Arteta simply doesn't pick him enough? Will he kick up a fuss and make the sailing less smooth in the dressing room?
We get that Emi has been waiting for 10 years but it was still uneasy to read his comments about being good enough and threatening to leave if he doesn't get what he wants over the past few weeks. All on the basis of 10-12 games.
