'Not an easy character to manage' - Oliseh reveals what Arsenal icon Wenger told him about Emiliano Martinez

Former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has revealed that Arsenal icon Arsene Wenger told him that Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was a difficult player to manage during the goalkeeper's time at the Emirates Stadium. 

A late bloomer, Martinez spent ten seasons at Arsenal before joining Aston Villa on a permanent transfer in 2020.

The Argentine struggled to establish himself as a first team regular at the Gunners leading to loan spells with Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers,Getafe and Reading. 

He was behind the likes of Wojciech Szczęsny, David Ospina, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone, Petr Cech and Bernd Leno in the pecking order of goalkeepers at Arsenal. 

After moving to Aston Villa, Martinez blossomed into a world-class goalkeeper, winning the World Cup and back-to-back Copa America titles.

Heralded as a penalty-saving expert, he won the Yashin Trophy and Fifa World Cup Golden Glove in 2022, and was named Copa América's Best Goalkeeper in 2021 and 2024.

"I watched him almost every game at the World Cup live in Qatar and when we say people that are positively crazy, he is that," Oliseh said on Channels Sports. 

"At Arsenal he was a bench warmer. Arsene Wenger also told us, shared a story with us, that they had to loan him out sometimes to give him playing time but when he was on loan he was also not playing because he was not an easy character to manage.

"I think now the coaches have probably found the balance and he's a little bit older, but he's a very good goalkeeper."

Emiliano Martinez made 38 appearances for Arsenal's first team, keeping sixteen clean sheets.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: afa.com.ar

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