Former Aston Villa goalkeeping coach Neil Cutler admits they fought hard to land Emi Martinez from Arsenal.

Cutler has now revealed the part he played during Villa's pursuit of Martinez, who signed from Arsenal for £17million in 2020.

"I pushed hard to sign him," Cutler told The Athletic.

"There were so many phone calls, meetings with his agent, conversations directly with Emi because we wanted him to feel comfortable with our vision and where we wanted to take him.

"He's so emotional, he's driven, he's typical South American. Having that relationship with Emi is key, so you know where he is at in his cycle; knowing when to bring him down, when to lift him up, because he's always so full on.

"Sometimes you have to bring him down from the ceiling. He's so driven to win and improve every day. In debrief meetings, Emi would sometimes watch back his clips and say, 'Ah, what a save that is'. That's brilliant because that's when he's at his best.

"The point you need to get Emi to is when his confidence is verging on arrogance. I don't like to see Emi play dull."