Arsenal: Emiliano Martinez the ideal number two for more than just quality

Unai Emery is reportedly set to make Emiliano Martinez his number two at Arsenal. It is the ideal choice for more reasons than Martinez being good enough.

Bernd Leno has unquestionably established himself as the number one at Arsenal. After being signed for approximately £20 million last summer, he usurped Petr Cech in the opening months of the season, developed as the year went on, and ended the campaign in scintillating form.

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But with Cech retiring from professional football this summer, there is a question at the reserve position. Cech was one of the best number twos in the Premier League, certainly the most experienced, and while Leno remained fit for the majority of the season, it was comforting to know that Cech was there in the background should he be required. The back-up goalkeeper is an important position.

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So who will Unai Emery turn to next season as the reserve goalkeeper to back up Leno? Well, according to Football.London, a deal is in place between Arsenal and Napoli to send David Ospina to the Italians on a permanent basis, rumoured to be in the region of £3 million, meaning that fellow returning loanee Emiliano Martinez will be handed the keys to the reserve role. This is the ideal move, for more reasons than just the relative quality of the players.

Martinez is of the right standard to fulfil the deputy responsibilities: he is a good goalkeeper coming off an excellent loan season with Reading, but he is not too good or too high calibre that he will expect to start every match and should be happy sitting on the bench for much of the season. But more than just the standard of Martinez, making him the reserve goalkeeper frees up resources this summer for other positions.

First and foremost, it allows Arsenal to sell Ospina for £3 million. That is money they would not otherwise have. It also releases Ospina’s wage off the books, which is thought to be £40,000-a-week. Martinez, in comparison, is half of that at £20,000-a-week.

Moreover, in keeping Martinez, who is younger and cheaper than his Colombian counterpart, the club does not need to search for an external solution to the goalkeeping position. Matt Macey will also return from his loan at Plymouth and could be kept next season as the third-choice option meaning that the team is set between the sticks.

Given the number of needs they must address this summer, and the limited resources that they have to address those needs, spending precious time and money on finding, negotiating for and eventually acquiring a reserve goalkeeper makes very little sense when you have a perfectly capable on in house already.

Martinez becoming the reserve goalkeeper, then, makes complete and utter sense. We will see how all this shakes out over the summer, but for now, it seems as though Emery is making the right choice here.