It’s undoubtedly been a whirlwind few months for Matt Turner, who has had to adjust to new surroundings, demands and roles.
The 28-year-old has worked hard to be where he is today and moving to his boyhood club back in the summer would have been a dream come true, but some are now beginning to wonder if fulfilling that dream was actually worth it.
Whether it was for New England Revolution or the USMNT, Turner had established himself as the number one and relished the opportunity, winning the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2021.
READ MORE: Arsenal's Matt Turner addresses USMNT World Cup concern despite playing key Europa League role
However, a year later things are looking much different. Turner joined Arsenal and instantly became second-choice behind Aaron Ramsdale, a situation he agreed with after signing.
“I’d agree with it for now,” he said. “I’m coming in to push him and become the best goalkeeper I can become, while also making him the best goalkeeper he can become. That’s really my goal for it all.”
Whether or not Turner still agrees with his role remains to be seen, although he did confirm that he received no guarantees over playing time, which was - in his words - “a risk.”
“Absolutely not, no. There's no guarantees in this game. It's all about how you train, and how you gain the trust of your manager and those around you. I wasn't given any specific clarities on my role, just that if you show up, you come in, and you work hard, then anything can happen.
“So for me, it was a risk to go from being a shoo-in starter to a place where I wasn't guaranteed to be a regular starter, but it felt like a necessary risk that I had to take,” Turner added.
Since arriving five months ago, Turner has made just four competitive appearances, all of which have been in the Europa League. Further opportunities will likely come his way in the other competitions later this season but with the World Cup just around the corner, it’s a scenario that former Premier League keeper Brad Friedel disagrees with.
Speaking to Fair Betting Sites, Friedel claimed Turner is “too good” to be sitting on the bench and hoped the Gunners would let him leave if his situation doesn’t improve.
“Time will tell if it's the right decision,” Friedel said. “When you're in the MLS, this is what I'll say - it's hard to turn down a club like Arsenal coming in for you. But when you move and you're as good as Matt Turner, I'd like to think that you would move and you're being told that you were gonna be the number one which obviously wasn't the case at Arsenal.
“Matt's a heck of a nice guy and a heck of a good goalkeeper. I don’t know what kind of deal they have with Arsenal or what, but I hope if he's not in the team, or doesn’t look like he's gonna get near the team, then they would allow him to leave or go on loan. I personally think he's too good of a goalkeeper to be sitting on the bench.”
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