Emiliano Martinez has revealed he asked Mikel Arteta in a text to let him join Aston Villa after failing to get the assurances he needed that he would be Arsenal No.1 this season.
The Argentine keeper returned to his former club for the first time on Sunday night following his £20 million ($26.5m) switch to Villa Park and helped his new side to a convincing 3-0 victory.
It was Martinez’s fourth clean sheet in seven games this season and his exit in the summer remains a source of frustration for many Arsenal fans, who believe the club should have done more to make him stay.