Matt Turner reveals why he left Arsenal in the summer

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner has revealed that a lack of opportunities towards the end of his debut season at the club was crucial in his decision to leave the club this summer. 

Turner was signed by the Gunners in January 2022 from the New England Revolution, but he didn’t officially arrive at the club until after the 2021/22 season. The American international was signed to function as Aaron Ramsdale’s back-up, with Turner making starts in various cup competitions but failing to play a single Premier League minute.

While his Arsenal career began with a shaky pre-season, Turner gradually grew more comfortable at the Emirates and generally impressed with his steady shot-stopping, bravery in the air, and ball-playing – an attribute that undoubtedly came on during the 2022/23 season.

He ended his debut campaign having made just seven appearances in all competitions while Ramsdale firmly remained the club’s number one. However, he was expected to continue at the club in 2023/24 before Arsenal’s decision to move for David Raya threw a major spanner in the works.

Matt Turner reveals why he left Arsenal in the summer

While Raya’s arrival rendered Turner surplus to requirements, the American has since admitted he had already been considering a quick exit from the Emirates in the summer.

“Towards the end of the season. I felt like there were games that I could have been playing, that I wasn’t even getting really a sniff of them,” Turner admitted during the September international break. “I was training really well, doing I felt like everything in my power to get myself minutes on the team and that just wasn’t happening for me. I knew that if I waited another year, it probably would have been more challenging for me to make a lateral move within the Premier League,” he added.

While Raya’s move to north London was in the works, Turner signed a four-year deal with Nottingham Forest after the clubs agreed on a £10m fee. The USMNT keeper was brought in to be the club’s number one and he’s started all four of Forest’s Premier League encounters so far, keeping his first clean sheet of the season at Chelsea just before the break.

All in all, Turner’s decision to move to Forest suited all parties, with Raya now having the challenge of displacing Ramsdale.