Aston Villa have completed the signing of goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Arsenal in a reported £20million deal.
Martinez was left out of Arsenal s squad for the 3-0 win over Fulham on Saturday as the move approached and he has now put pen to paper on a four-year contract at Villa Park.
The 28-year-old is Villa s third major signing of the transfer window, following the arrivals of Matty Cash and Ollie Watkins from Nottingham Forest and Brentford respectively.
Villa boss Dean Smith said: We are really pleased with the signing of our new goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
We know how highly Arsenal rated him and we watched his outstanding performances last season in a trophy-winning top side.
We moved for Emi when we saw the opportunity, as it is rare to be able to buy a top-class goalkeeper who hasn t yet reached their peak age and who can therefore be a key player for our club for the long term.
Introducing our new goalkeeper: !
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)
Martinez joined Arsenal in 2010, though has often been second or third choice at Emirates Stadium.
However, the Argentinian impressed when called upon last season following an injury to Bernd Leno and made nine Premier League appearances following the restart of the season in June.
He also put in strong performances to help Mikel Arteta s side clinch the FA Cup in August, and continued his form into the Community Shield, which Arsenal won on penalties against Liverpool.
But with Arteta unable to guarantee Martinez first-team football, he decided to bring his stay in north London to an end.
