Matt Turner making a save

The goalkeeping situation at Arsenal was a rather interesting one last season, as the Gunners invested £24m in Aaron Ramsdale to serve as a deputy to Bernd Leno. Mikel Arteta was certain that Alex Runarsson was certainly not a dependable deputy following his shaky performances in the Europa League with the final nail on his coffin being his shambolic outing against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal of the previous season. 

Bernd Leno started the season on the end of some bashing from Brentford, Chelsea and Man City, losing his place to the newbie, Ramsdale, and never gaining it back. Sadly, Leno had to make do with featuring in the Cup matches, limiting his appearances last season to just eight – four in the League, three in the Carabao Cup and one FA Cup game, where the Gunners shamefully lost to Nottingham Forest. 

With a year left on Leno’s deal, Arsenal are faced in that tight situation of either putting him in the market to make some quid or letting him run out his contract and leave on a free transfer. Early on in the summer, Benfica was linked with a move for Leno, which would have offered him a chance to reunite with his former Bayer Leverkusen boss, and in more recent times, the Arsenal shot stopper has been linked with a move to Premier League returnees, Fulham. 

Amid the Leno uncertainties, it was evident that Arsenal had to make plans to get a backup goalie to the former backup goalie, Ramsdale, so whispers of a move for New England Revolution towering goalie, Matt Turner, began to surface. Not much is known about the lad from a scouting perspective, but the history books tell us that he was the 2020 New England Revolution Player of the Year, courtesy of votes from players and fans alike. He amassed 111 appearances (102 MLS) in five seasons with the American outfit.

He has also been competing with Manchester City’s Zak Steffen for a starting berth in the USMNT, but it’s evident that Matt Turner is Gregg Belhalter’s preferred option in goal, as Turner has featured 18 times for USMNT, including 13 in 2021. This consistent run of games for his national team included a 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup win. 

Arsenal has announced the signing of Matt Turner from New England Revolution and have handed him the #30 jersey. As expected, Mikel Arteta and Edu had good things to say about the American and touched on his experience. He’s expected to be a deputy to Ramsdale this season and would feature in the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Europa League.

With Turner now in our ranks, the road is paved for Leno to leave the club, and the expectation is that he’d be gone, sooner rather than later. After 125 appearances for the Gunners, it looks like its gonna be…

Sayonara Herr Leno.

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