Mikel Arteta has admitted that time will tell whether Arsenal are weaker after selling Emi Martinez to Aston Villa.
The 28-year-old sealed a £20million move to Aston Villa this week after making a big impression on the first team and the fans in the absence of Bernd Leno at the end of last season.
Fans were split on the move, with Martinez making a case to be Arsenal's No.1 keeper during the restart of the Premier League.
However, £20million for a back-up goalkeeper proved too good for the club to turn down.
The Gunners are close to sealing a move to bring in Runar Alex Runarsson as a possible replacement, but are also being linked with a move for Brentford keeper David Raya.
And Mikel Arteta admitted that only time will tell on whether they made the right decision to cash in on Martinez.
"With the departure of Emi, a big loss, we have to replace him," Arteta told reporters.
"In football, the hours can become days. I cannot tell you.
"Depending on what happens with the goalkeeping position. The market is still open but things can change.
"I knew what was going to happen with Emi. We finished on good terms.
"I was clear with both that it wasn’t a one and a two. Bernd was superb. Emi was excellent. That created competition, we had to deal with that, we were really open.
"Emi had a good offer for what he wanted to achieve long and short term and we allowed him to leave.
"At the end of the day we have to find balance with what we want with our squad and our finances. Time will tell whether we’re weaker.
"The recruitment to bring our second goalkeeper will hopefully bring a good level."
