Having trained against him regularly at three different clubs, there are not many players who know more about Benik Afobe’s ability in front of goal than Emiliano Martinez.
The duo rose through Arsenal’s ranks together before sharing spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Wolves, and Martinez has warned our defenders to be on high alert when Afobe visits the Emirates with Bournemouth on Sunday.
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“[We must keep him] very close," Martinez told Arsenal Player.
"He’s very good. He’s very quick, likes to go behind the defenders and he’s got a really, really good first-time finish. I would say to Lolo and Mustafi to keep him really close.
“I met Benik when I was 16,” the goalkeeper added. “Obviously I couldn’t speak to him too much because my English was poor, but since I started speaking English he was the first one to talk to me.
“My first experience on loan was at Sheffield Wednesday and he went there as well. I really enjoyed it. Last season, when they told me that I needed to go on loan, one of the reasons that I joined Wolves was because Benik was there. He’s a really nice lad and I really, really like him.
“When he left Arsenal everyone thought that he was going down, but he showed a really good character. He’s a man who likes to fight, and when he told me he was going to join Bournemouth in the Premier League when we were at Wolves, I was very pleased because we all knew what happened to him and how hard his situation was."
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