After Arsenal’s short-lived flirtation with Runar Runarsson as our backup goalkeeper after we sold Roberto Martinez to Aston Villa, Mikel Arteta finally brought in the experienced Australian Mat Ryan on loan from Brighton to give us some cover for Bernd Leno.
I am pretty certain I talk for most Arsenal fans when I say that the Socceroo shot-stopper was impressive in the few games we saw him in action for the Gunners, and there are many fans who would have liked to see him in front of Leno in the pecking stakes.
“I’ve got full faith in the team around me – my agent, family, friends – that we’re going to get a couple of options hopefully and go about making what’s going to be the best decision for me,” he told FoxSports over in Australia, where he has joined the national team squad to take part in Australia’s World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait, Nepal, Chinese Taipei and Jordan in Kuwait City next month.
“Hopefully, Arsenal becomes one of those options as well that we can look at and see what can happen there, but at the minute it’s still quite early. The season’s just finished.
“I’m taking it day by day and seeing where my journey takes me.”
“I’ve learnt so much in my experiences (at Arsenal) so far, all that’s being with a club like that, the resources, the personnel, the quality on the pitch, the enormity of the club on a global aspect … it was so cool to be a part of,” he said.
“I was very fortunate but at the same time I worked hard to get a couple of opportunities.
“I set a couple of little goals when I signed with the club, ticking them off one by one.
“I wanted to play games. It started with an unfortunate loss, had a draw after and then finally got a win.
“It was a great experience and I was really proud of how I did and really content with how I did, and I showed that I have the capability to play at a level like that.
“I look forward to seeing what that little period now means for me moving forward.
“At this level you’re always as good as your next games, not necessarily your last games.”
It is obvious that Maty is keen to come back to us, but the problem is that his performances for us may have alerted other clubs as to his skills and he may receive more than a few other offers.
I think Arsenal should try and tie Mat Ryan down quickly while he is still keen on coming back.
What do you think?