Emi Martinez may have joined Getafe on loan, but that does not mean he has given up on his goal of becoming our No 1 goalkeeper.

The former Argentina youth international has been making steady progress since joining us from Independiente in 2010, and is now more determined than ever to become our first-choice stopper when he returns from his season-long spell in Spain.

“I’ve always wanted to improve,” Martinez told Arsenal Player. “It’s never enough for me. My kicking is good but I want to have the perfection of a goalkeeper, even on crosses. I know I’m good on crosses but I still do 50 crosses in training.

“Gerry [Peyton] says, ‘Last one’, and I will do three more. I look what I can do and what I can improve with the other goalkeepers. I’m always trying to improve myself. If you want to play for Arsenal or be at the top level for many years, that’s what you need to do.

“It’s in my blood to train hard. When you’re not in the squad and you have to train the day after, sometimes it’s hard because you want to be involved in the team and you want to play. I always tell myself, ‘The chance will come and I won’t let it run’. That’s what keeps me going and motivated all the time.

“I came from nothing and I’m at Arsenal now, one of the biggest clubs in the world, but I’m never satisfied. I was third choice fighting for second spot, so maybe the season after I will fight for No 1. You always need to give more at Arsenal. It’s never enough and that’s what I try to do.”