Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is wary facing Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez.

Martinez finally got his moment in the spotlight at the end of last season after a decade of service to Arsenal, playing an instrumental role in their FA Cup success.

"He had a career of 10 years here. It wasn't just the last six or eight months," Arteta said in a press conference on Friday. "You have to look at everything he did through his time at the club.

"Obviously, it wasn't in my plans to sell him, but we gave him the chance because he deserved it.

"He performed really, really well but we have to balance the books. We have to make the right choices in the market and obviously, I couldn't guarantee him to be the number one.

"He's a very ambitious person, he has been working really hard and he can see now that the opportunity is there."