Although it has not yet been confirmed officially by Arsenal, it is no secret that the USA Mens Team goalkeeper Matt Turner will be joining us this summer, and expected to be our first choice backup to Aaron Ramsdale next season.
The 27 year-old was a late-comer to his football career, but has had a meteoric rise since joining the New England Revolution (based in Foxborough, Massachusetts) and is currently preparing to play Morocco with the national team.
He is obviously worried about losing his place in the USA team with the World Cup coming up in Qatar, but he is ready for his new challenge in the Premier League, and intends to challenge Ramsdale for a first team place.
But first he intends to play one last game for the Revolution to say goodbye to his friends and fans before joining his wife in London, who is looking at properties in London ahead of his big move.
But he hasn’t given up on being picked for the World Cup, despite what other people may say. “Those same people are probably the ones that were saying that because I play in MLS, I don’t deserve to play for the national team,” Turner said on MLSsoccer.com
“So it’s hard for me to swallow all the things that people say from time to time. I’m going to go out there, I’m going to put my best foot forward. I think it’s definitely a step up for me, and I’m going to take this as far as I can do it.”
“Well, I’ve been playing pretty well in MLS for the better part of three years now. And given the environment of transfers for goalkeepers in particular, this is the first real interest, first real offer that I’ve had,”
“And I’ve been trying to make things happen for quite some time. So it seemed like the right time for me.
“Being a week in, week out starter in MLS didn’t guarantee me to be a starter here for the national team, and going to the World Cup, I obviously want to play games. So I need to shake things up in my club career and I think this is a positive step forward, for me in the long term and in the immediate future.”
“I still have a little business to take care of over in Foxborough, one more game,” said Turner. “I’m hoping that it’ll be a nice little send-off and I can say bye to the fans and people that are so close to my heart, that really welcomed me to the area. It’s pretty emotional, though, overall, with everything because it’s where I first became a professional.
“It’s where I became a man. It’s where I fell in love. It’s where I got married. It’s where I found out I was having my first child. So a lot of firsts in that area. And it’s going to be tough to leave behind, for sure. But I think I’m ready. I know who I am. And I know I’m ready for a new challenge.”
The giant shotstopper is a super confident keeper and has an excellent record in penalty saves, and if he is as good as he thinks he is, then we may all be pleasantly surprised at his ability when he gets his chance in the Arsenal first team.
I’m quite looking forward to seeing him perform, aren’t you?
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Good addition we pray for his success