Arsenal make transfer decision on Mat Ryan future

Arsenal are beginning to lay the foundations of a hectic summer transfer window with changes expected in almost every position across the team. Goalkeeper was temporarily seen to in the winter period with Mat Ryan’s arrival, and a decision on his long-term future appears to have been made.

The arrival of Runar Alex Runarsson from Dijon in the summer of 2020 brought with it a mixed response. On the one hand his track record was woeful, while equally also joined for a measly £1.5m fee and was personally selected by goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana. His track record continued.

Runarsson was risky on the ball and mostly useless with his hands, two unfortunate traits to possess when your job entails the regular use of both. His dabbled in the Europa League offered only minuscule inklings of talent together with his worrying aspects, and then a calamity performance against Manchester City confirmed he was way out of his depth.

Thus the acquisition of Mat Ryan on loan from Brighton in January proved a smart piece of business: experienced in the Premier League, dedicated to the cause considering he supports the club and no need for a long period of integration.

Arsenal make transfer decision on Mat Ryan future as summer transfer window looms

His one outing to date was a fine showing against Aston Villa, and while he hasn’t played since he’s impressed the club long enough to earn a permanent deal.

As per football.london, it’s now ‘expected’ that Ryan will pen a full-time contract once his deal at the AMEX Stadium finishes at the end of next season. Being out of favour under Graham Potter ensures Arsenal won’t need to break the bank, although the length of deal to be offered isn’t mentioned.

Ideally wanting a younger, homegrown stopper to come in as Bernd Leno‘s understudy, if targets can’t be acquired in the summer then even a one-year deal for Ryan acts as a more than adequate stop-gap.

With so much to tend to this summer and no obvious concerns over Ryan’s suitability as a No. 2 then the logic is there for a small outlay on an experienced keeper. Freddie Woodman continues to impress with Swansea and any move for either him or David Raya may be put on hold for another season.