Runar Alex Runarsson is set to join Altay in Turkey on loan for the 2021-22, only 12 months after joining Arsenal to become the back-up to Bernd Leno.
The Icelandic international arrived from Dijon as the replacement for Emiliano Martinez, who joined Aston Villa after deciding he wasn’t willing to stay without guarantees of being the club’s number one, but Runarsson failed to live up to expectations.
Mat Ryan was eventually signed on loan in January to come in as the club’s backup for the remainder of the campaign, and we are now believed to be on the lookout for a new backup.
Ryan returned to Brighton at the end of his loan spell, but has since moved to La Liga to join Real Sociedad, and Runarsson is closing on a move to Turkey to join Altay. There is little information on the terms of the deal, with previous whispers talking of a permanent deal, while others claimed there could be an option or obligation to buy in a loan, but Football.London‘s Chris Wheatley has confirmed that it will be a temporary move, with no such mention of any future fee involved.
With three years remaining on Runarsson’s contract, he could well return to the club after his loan, although I’m not personally holding out any belief that he will ever wear our famous red and white jersey ever again.
Patrick