Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has revealed that he'd like to stay at the club and play more games, despite drawing the interest of ten clubs from around Europe.
The 27-year-old played a starring role for the Gunners towards the end of the 2019/20 season, after stepping in for the injured Bernd Leno in June. His performances were instrumental in helping Arsenal win the FA Cup, which was wrapped up with a 2-1 win over rivals Chelsea at Wembley.
Now, the Argentine has spoken about his future - in an interview with Marca - where he revealed that staying at Arsenal would be his preferred option. He did, however, concede that he's no longer happy to sit on the bench, adding that there is significant interest in his services from around the continent.
"I want to stay at Arsenal, but if I play more minutes. Because on a personal level and my age, I need to have confidence that I will be given as many minutes as possible," Martinez said.
"I am in the sights of 10 teams in Europe. But I can't say who those clubs are, because it's nothing concrete. I still do not have the clear situation with Arsenal, when I have it when I return I will make the best decision for my career."
Martinez added that he doesn't yet know what the future holds - confirming that conversations over his long-term future have not yet taken place - but did intimate that a return to La Liga would be of interest.
"The truth is that I do not know, I did not speak with them. I came to the mountains and disconnected my cell phone for a long time. After a final like the one we had, I received many calls and messages. When I return I will speak with the club, because I did not want to speak before or after the final, because I wanted to be focused only on that important game," he added.
"But now, when I return, at the beginning I am already clear about what I want to do, to have things clear because, obviously, I will try to play more minutes.
"I really liked the Spanish LaLiga, it is true that I did not have a good experience at Getafe, because I did not play the games that I went to play. But Spain is a great league, I love the country. If I go back I will add more minutes than I did in Getafe, and I would do it in the best way. If it is not England, I would like to go to Spain."
Martinez is Arsenal's longest serving player, joining from Independiente a decade ago. In that time, he's had six different loan spells away from the club and has played just 37 games for the Gunners in all competitions.
That may change, but only if he can oust the outstanding Leno from between the sticks.
Source : 90min