Arsenal: Hardened Emiliano Martinez Has A Shot At The Big Time

Emiliano Martinez has stated that he is hardened due to his experiences in the Championship. As a result, he now has a shot at the Arsenal big time.

Arsenal and many other top clubs look to exploit the loan system in England to develop their younger players. In having a large squad, it is often very difficult to provide the younger members with regular and consistent first team opportunities where they can challenge themselves at senior level.

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It is a system that Arsene Wenger has exploited to his advantage on a number of occasions. Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and now Calum Chambers have all enjoyed loan spells both in the Premier League and in the lower reaches of English football during their younger years. And now there is another to add to the list of beneficiaries from the loan system.

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When asked about how he had handled the pressures and the demands of playing in the first team thanks to injuries to David Ospina and Wojciech Szczesny, Emiliano Martinez heralded his experiences out on loan as instrumental in providing him with the understanding of first team football and how to deal with the mental challenges that come with it:

"“It helps a lot. I have been in the Championship, played probably 40 games in the Championship, and it helped me to develop. You play with strong defenders, strong strikers, it’s not the same as playing at under-23 or under-21 level. You train hard because you want to play every single game. It helps you to be calm in big games, for example against West Ham.”"

Ultimately, the young keeper is stating that he is hardened. And now, thanks to injuries and Wojciech Szczesny being absent from the squad out on loan at Roma, he has his shot at the Arsenal big time.

In his first start for the club in the win over West Ham United, he had very little to do. But what he did have to do, he did well. He showed great command for his box, was comfortable in collecting crosses at set pieces and was dominant, using his size well throughout. While he did concede a penalty in the loss to Crystal Palace, he also made a number of excellent saves, showing good distribution in both performances.

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Martinez will not be the starter for the remainder of the season. But there is a possibility that he could yet put his name forward for the long-term role and his time in the Championship will most certainly help him in his quest.