Arsenal coaches have started to question whether Mikel Arteta sold the right goalkeeper, as Emiliano Martinez continues to succeed at Aston Villa.

Arteta was faced with an important decision in the summer transfer window, with two talented goalkeepers in his first-team squad. 

Two games into Project Restart, Bernd Leno suffered an injury during Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Brighton and Martinez replaced the German between the sticks.

For the remainder of the 2019/20 season, the Argentine shone in Leno’s absence and kept four clean sheets, while also helping Arsenal win the FA Cup over Chelsea. 

Nevertheless, the lack of clarity over his No.1 status prompted Martinez to request a Gunners exit, which Arteta duly accepted.

Martinez has even 'thanked' Arteta for helping facilitate a move to Premier League side Aston Villa, where the goalkeeper has gone on to impress.

Now, Arsenal coaches fear that the 38-year-old manager may have made the wrong decision by backing Leno and letting Martinez leave, per Football Insider.

GIVEMESPORT’s Tom Kelly says…

Martinez’s performances in a Villa shirt this season will likely make Arsenal fans question why he wasn’t preferred over Leno at the Emirates. 

During his maiden season with the Birmingham-based side, the shot-stopper has recorded 14 clean sheets in the Premier League. Only Manchester City’s Ederson has recorded more with 15.

In addition to this, the Villans goalkeeper has recorded the highest save percentage in the top-flight, with 79% according to FBRef.

This statistic is even more impressive bearing in mind that Martinez has been forced to make 92 saves this season. To put this into perspective, only Sam Johnstone, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope, and Illan Meslier have made more saves.

In comparison, it’s fair to say Leno’s 2020/21 campaign hasn’t been as successful.

Across the season, Leno has kept eight clean sheets and recorded a save percentage of 70.8%. In both categories, the Arsenal goalkeeper is ranked outside the top ten.

It would seem Arteta has made an error on this occasion. Martinez demonstrated his worth during the run-in of last season, but this still wasn’t enough to change the manager’s mind.

Now, he is demonstrating his capabilities at Dean Smith’s Villa and has statistically proven he's one of the best goalkeepers in the league.