Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has said his goodbyes to the club in a video which looked very emotional ahead of his imminent move to Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
The shot-stopper who helped the Gunners to FA Cup triumph and guided them to winning the Community Shield is set to depart the club after 10 years in a £20 million deal.
Martinez joined Arsenal from Independiente in 2010, though the Argentine goalkeeper has often been second or third choice at Emirates Stadium.
Before leaving, @EmiMartinezz1 had one final request: to do a leaving interview to speak to the fans one last time ❤️
📺 This is Emi’s farewell to the Arsenal family… pic.twitter.com/rlaGSQkLVy
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 16, 2020
Bidding his goodbye to Arsenal in an Instagram video on Tuesday, the 28-year-old said: “Thank you Arsenal. For me, I could not be happier to leave through the front door with the Arsenal fanbase supporting me and the club supporting me.
“I had 11 years at the club, and even if it was a hard road for me, and I suffered through my time at Arsenal, today I am happy and I tried to show young goalies how work pays off.
“When you work hard, you are not going to be happy the whole time, you are going to have frustration, bad times in life.
“They all understood at Arsenal and they support me for my decision. The Arsenal fanbase were always there for me, I felt their love.
“Even when Bernd got injured this season, I received loads of messages like ‘we trust in you’, ‘you are our goalie’. That made me confident, made me win games and made me the keeper I am today.
“They understood my story and they love the way I worked in the club. I am so glad to be part of the Arsenal family for 11 years.”
The goalkeeper was allowed to make preparations towards his move by travelling down to Birmingham to have his medical, while also visiting Villa’s training facilities.
Martinez turned down a contract extension from the north London side after he received no assurances of enough playing time.
Arsenal fans love Emi and will always be rooting for him!!
