Arsenal legend Ray Parlour believes his former club might just have made a mistake when it comes to former goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
Martinez did brilliantly last season after coming in to replace the injured Bernd Leno, but with the Argentine keen to play regular first-team football after eight years of very few minutes at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal decided to sell.
The Gunners sold Martinez for £20million to Aston Villa as they stood by starter Leno, but while the German has barely put a foot wrong, some fans will still be questioning the decision to allow Martinez to depart.
And that includes former midfielder Parlour, who has questioned the decision amid Martinez's stunning form for Aston Villa.
“I think he has been an absoutley brilliant signing for Aston Villa,” said Parlour on TalkSPORT. “When they played Brighton, the other night, he was sensational.
“Three or four world-class saves to keep them in the game. Since he signed from Arsenal, he had that brilliant end to the season, played in the FA Cup final and played really well.
“Then got a move to Aston Villa because he wanted to be number one. I don’t think any Aston Villa fan would think he’s done this well because he has been an absolute snip for £20 million.
“You talk about strikers winning you games. But goalkeepers are so important if you want to be successful. He’s getting better and better – he has everything.
“I am sure a lot of Arsenal fans out there will be saying ‘why didn’t we keep him?’ ‘Have we picked the right keeper?’. I love Leno as well. I think he’s top-class as well.”
Aston Villa have been one of the surprise packages so far this season, currently eighth, four points behind Liverpool in sixth and with two games in hand.
Martinez has been key to that success, conceding just 24 goals in 22 games, proving to be quite the signing at £20million.
