UP THE VILLA
Martinez made a step in the right direction
The Argentinian keeper has been a revelation since joining Villa in a £ 20m switch and his new club are now dreaming of European football.
Villa are sixth, three points off the top and have a game in hand on leaders Leicester.
But his former club find themselves in the bottom half of the table after they were thumped 3- 0 by Dean Smith’s side at the Emirates on Sunday.
And Martinez’s decision to force a move in the summer looks a wise choice, with the clubs seemingly moving in opposite directions.
He said: “They were all saying it was a step down in my career but I always said it was a step up.
“When I decided to come to Villa, it was because I trusted the manager and the club’s ambitions – and I knew how big Villa are.
“I said on day one my ambition is to be in Europe with Aston Villa. Can it be done this season? Yes. But we have to work for it.”
Martinez, 28, became something of a cult hero with Gunners fans after getting his chance in the team when first choice Bernd Leno got injured at Brighton in just the second game of Project Restart.
Many supporters thought Arsenal should have kept him and sold Leno when it became clear Mikel Arteta would struggle to keep both happy.
Speaking for the first time about the decision to leave Arsenal, Martinez said: “I told Arteta I wanted to play week in, week out and he couldn’t guarantee who was going to start.
“Even before the Community Shield he didn’t know who was going to play in goal.
“I just wanted to play firstteam football and Arsenal could not guarantee me that. So I just texted him to say I was going to Villa, so please help me and let me go.
“He was very honest and very open with me. He helped me leave the club after so many years. I’ve already said how grateful I am for that.”
As soon as Villa came in for him, there was never any hesitation in Martinez’s mind.
He said: “I knew the club’s ambitions and the manager’s ambitions. They called me after the win against Chelsea in the FA Cup Final.
“What I like about this team is how we reacted after two defeats – it is not easy to react like that away from home against a team like Arsenal.
“We always say how good a young team we are. We want to give them a structure from the back because they are so good going forward.”