Mikel Arteta has led Arsenal to an incredible campaign so far, with the Gunners so close to claiming their first Premier League crown since 2003/04.
The next few weeks will arguably be the most important in the club’s recent history and the decision to remain patient with the Spaniard could be the wisest decision this Arsenal board ever do, with the fruits of his labour beginning to pay off.
His record in the transfer market has been incredibly good during his spell as boss, managing to lure the likes of Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the club, and with them, he has formed a potential title-winning team.
There have been a few players he has perhaps sold too soon however, with Joe Willock and Matteo Guendouzi starring for their current clubs across the continent.
Yet it was the decision to move on goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez that the 41-year-old may well be regretting, particularly with his value now soaring.
How much is Emiliano Martinez worth now?
The Argentine 'keeper spent ten years in north London, yet he made only 38 appearances for the first team, having to rely on a succession of loan moves to lower-league clubs to gain vital playing time.
Arteta decided it was best for him to move on in 2020, selling him for £20m to Aston Villa and the move couldn’t have gone better for the 30-year-old.
He has played over 100 matches for Villa since joining, keeping 35 clean sheets, and he has even developed into an international star such is his form since leaving Arsenal.
Indeed, Martinez was a key proponent for Argentina at the 2021 Copa America, saving three penalties against Colombia in their semi-final shootout win, and who could forget his World Cup antics just last year?
He managed to save two of the Netherlands' efforts in their quarter-final shootout, before denying Kingsley Coman in the final to secure Argentina’s third World Cup triumph. In the process, he also secured himself the Golden Glove award, not bad going for someone who made his debut for his country in 2021.
Former Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta dubbed the 6 foot 5 stopper “crazy” following his exploits against the Dutch in Qatar and his value has risen astronomically since departing the Gunners in 2020.
Martinez is now estimated to be worth as much as £60m, according to transfer insider Dean Jones, proving that despite the form of Aaron Ramsdale, perhaps it was a big mistake to cash in on the Argentine titan when they did.
Indeed, he has developed into one of the best goalkeepers in the world recently.