Emiliano Martinez has revealed he was impressed with Mikel Arteta's honesty and openness while he was texting the Arsenal boss to seal a move to Aston Villa in the summer.
The Argentinean goalkeeper stepped up in the absence of Bernd Leno while the German was injured in the latter stages of last season and impressed, helping the Gunners win the FA Cup.
But once it became apparent that he would likely become No.2 again for the coming season he pushed for a move, and eventually joined Villa for £20m.
Speaking following his side's 3-0 win over his former team on Sunday, Martinez explained exactly how things progressed ahead of his transfer. "I just wanted to play first-team football and Arsenal could not guarantee me that," Martinez said. '
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