Before the international break, Arsenal's first-choice goalkeeper, Petr Cech, had to be taken off during the Gunner's 3:1 defeat at the Hawthorns. According to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, Cech was injured from a tackle during the first half of the match. Wenger said: "It was a bad tackle. His ankle is in an absolutely terrible state. He should not have played in the second half, but he insisted that he wanted to come out." Subsequently, David Ospina started in goal in Sunday's draw against Manchester City but also ended up with an injury. With Ospina ruled out for Wednesday's match against West Ham United, third-choice goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is set to start in goal for the Gunners.
Martinez's season so far
The 24-year-old Argentine has been at the North London club since 2010 and has started his Arsenal career playing for the club's youth teams. Martinez has also been loaned out several times but is currently the Gunners' third-choice-goalkeeper behind Cech and Ospina. This season, the Argentine has only played in the EFL Cup so far. Martinez appeared a total of three times in the competition, including the quarter-final of the League Cup, in which Arsenal were knocked out by Southampton. In today's match against the Hammers, the 24-year-old will be starting in goal for the first time in the Premier League this season. However, this is not Martinez's first appearance in the league.
Everything you need to know about the Gunners' third-choice-goalkeeper
Emiliano Martinez made his debut in the top flight of English football against Manchester United back in the 2014/15 season when the young goalkeeper was used as a second-half substitute. The match ended 2:1 for the Red Devils. Furthermore, Martinez has previously featured in the Champions League for Arsenal.
Back in 2014, the Argentine started in goal against Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates and managed to keep a clean sheet, as the Gunners won 2:0. As a result of his "faultless" performance against Dortmund, Martinez was named in UEFA's team of the week.
The 24-year-old has stated his desire to be the Gunners' first-choice-goalkeeper on various occasions. With Cech out for another 2 weeks and Ospina's future at the club an uncertainty, Martinez has been given a great opportunity to prove his worth.
