da mrbet： Matt Turner has only spent 12 months at Arsenal, taking in seven appearances, but is it already time for the USMNT star to be considering a transfer?
da betcris： The United States international completed a move to Emirates Stadium from MLS side the New England Revolution that had been agreed a few months earlier during the summer window of 2022. He knew what he was letting himself in for with Aaron Ramsdale already the established No.1 in north London.
Turner was, however, to take in just seven appearances during his debut campaign with the Gunners – with none of those coming in the Premier League. He has continued to be selected by his country, but needs more regular game time at club level.
Exit talk has been sparked in 2023, with GOAL quizzing former Arsenal star Ray Parlour on whether Turner was ever the right option, what the future could hold for him and whether Ramsdale will continue to see off competition to his place in Mikel Arteta’s plans.
GettyGood enough?
Quizzed by GOAL on whether Turner is good enough for a club of Arsenal’s stature and ambition, Parlour – speaking in association with – said, with the Gunners already being linked with another keeper: “I’ve seen the reports with David Raya at Brentford. You always need good goalkeepers. If you are going to have any chance of being successful, you need to have that. Maybe they have thought ‘is he up to the standard?’ I haven’t seen a lot of him, but Raya I’ve seen a lot of and he’s decent. Whether that deal is going to happen, we have to wait and see. You have then got two good goalkeepers. If there is then a problem with Ramsdale going forward, you have got no problems whatsoever bringing Raya into the team. I do believe that you need two top class keepers because if one gets an injury – it’s like losing your striker. Maybe that’s what they are looking at. It might up Ramsdale’s game a little because he knows he has competition around him.”
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Pressed on whether Turner may have been signed by Arsenal as much for his links to the lucrative American market as his ability between the sticks, Parlour said: “He’s a decent keeper, there is no doubt about that. But if you want to try and win leagues, sometimes you need that little bit extra. Whether he has got that… Of course it’s great for the American market that he has come to England and playing, but it’s all about ability in the end. He might just be lacking a little bit. I don’t see him day to day but the coaches will be chatting with Mikel Arteta – they see him every day, and will be saying if he’s good enough. If he is called upon then he’ll do the best he can, but whether that is good enough to win your leagues and trophies is another matter. That is maybe why they are looking at other keepers.”
GettyTime for a change
The good will that has been afforded to Turner by the USMNT will not last forever, with Parlour saying when asked if the 29-year-old now needs a move as much for his international ambitions as domestic ones – with Nottingham Forest reported to have expressed interest: “You want to be playing. You probably get into the team at 18, 19 and you have got probably 16 years – 35/36 is probably the average age where people retire. You don’t want to be sitting on the bench every week, and at the moment he will be. I like that in a player. He wants to go out and play. You have got to keep your eye in. You can train as much as you like, but it’s not like game situations. Where is he going to play football? That is one reason why he might say to Arteta ‘look, I want to go out and play now’. If he does that, then players have all the power now and they can do that.”
GettyColourful character
Turner has been forced to play second fiddle to Ramsdale at Arsenal, with the England international silencing critics that questioned his £24 million ($31m) fee when arriving from Sheffield United in 2021 with back-to-back relegations out of the Premier League under his belt. Parlour said when asked for his take on the enigmatic 25-year-old: “He’s done brilliantly. What I like about him is his character as well. He’s brilliant for the dressing room, which is so important. It’s not all about ability sometimes. He has got plenty of ability, but you have to look at the character as well and what he can bring to the dressing room. I think he has been excellent. He made some great saves last season in important games. He’s going to make a mistake here and there, all keepers do that, but most of the time he has kept Arsenal in it when he has to – concentration levels have been very good. He’s been a great signing. There were a few people who said ‘is he worth that?’ I spoke to Dave Seaman, who goes into training, and he says he’s a great character and an excellent goalkeeper. If Dave Seaman says that, I’m very happy.”