Petr Cech defends Arsenal for selling successor who became World Cup winner with bizarre claim

Petr Cech spent four years at Arsenal, winning the FA Cup, though the Gunners struggled to replace him after selling the man many expected to be his long-term successor

Former Arsenal star Petr Cech has defended the Gunners for selling Emiliano Martinez to Premier League rivals Aston Villa – because he “had too much energy”.

Cech spent four years at Arsenal, helping them to win the FA Cup in 2017. Martinez had been seen as a potential successor for the Czech Republic international, having worked his way through the ranks at the Emirates.

But he had a frustrating spell at the Gunners, instead being sent out on six different loan spells. The Argentine did impress during Project Restart after Bernd Leno was injured, earning a £20million move to Villa.

Since then he has helped Argentina to win the 2022 World Cup, as well as two Copa America titles, and played key role in helping Villa secure a top four spot last season. But Cech has defended the decision to sell him.

“You could always see his ability, but he had too much energy at Arsenal,” Premier League legend Cech told Amazon Prime. “It wasn’t until he found a way to channel it into one direction that he really developed and went to the next level.”

Since his exit, Martinez has insisted he still holds affection for the Gunners. But he did criticise the club’s decision to not offer him a chance to impress.

“I love everything about Arsenal,” Martinez told Sky Sports back in 2021. “I still love them and I’m still watching the games, but I just felt like they didn’t trust me like they should have.

“That’s the reality because they kept buying goalkeepers to go in front of me and I was the goalkeeper from the academy. When I was on a high, I still felt like they didn’t deserve me because of the way they were treating me.

“They couldn’t guarantee me the games I needed so I thought that if they couldn’t guarantee me the games I needed, then I’m moving on. They didn’t say to me that I wasn’t going to play, they just didn’t guarantee me the games that I wanted to play.

“So, after 10 years, I decided to leave, and it was very difficult. My family didn’t understand why I was leaving when I was at such a good level at Arsenal, but it was my decision to leave and I’m really proud I did it.

“It was a gamble, but I always believe that if you stay in the comfort zone, you will never reach anything in life. I decided to take the step up. When I signed for Villa, from day one I said it was a step up in my career and I want to qualify for Europe with the club.”

Martinez is set to start as Villa travel to Club Brugge for the first leg of their Champions League last 16 clash on Tuesday. Unai Emery’s side have also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and sit 10th in the Premier League.

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