It was a dream come true for Matt Turner when he finally completed his move to Arsenal from MLS side New England Revolution this summer, but there remained an acceptance that a totally different challenge awaited the boyhood fan.
Everybody knows that the gap in quality between the MLS and Premier League remains substantial, and although the former has improved in recent years, England’s top flight remains one of - if not - the best in the world.
As football.london highlighted with Turner’s Arsenal and US teammate, Auston Trusty, there’s always scepticism when a player makes the move from America to England due to doubts over their adaptability to the English game and the incredibly high standards that come with it. However, in both players’ cases, it seems they have what it takes to be a success.
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For Turner, in particular, It’s not been a straightforward transition but the hard work is beginning to pay off. The 28-year-old arrived as second-choice to Arsenal No.1, Aaron Ramsdale, and has had to adapt his game to Mikel Arteta’s fast-paced possession-based football, which includes playing out from the back.
Despite some rather unconvincing and nervy moments during pre-season and Arsenal’s first Europa League clash of the campaign against FC Zurich, Turner’s slowly but surely getting better. This was noticeable in Thursday’s 1-0 away win over Bodo/Glimt, as the goalkeeper arguably had his best game for the club yet.
As well as having to deal with the difficulties of playing on artificial turf, Turner found himself going up against a team that hadn’t lost at home in European competition for fourteen matches. It’s fair to say that he wasn’t challenged as much as initially anticipated, but he was still kept busy and looked sharp when called upon.
It was his distribution that stood out more than anything, accurately playing a mixture of short and long passes out from his box with confidence. His role as a ‘sweeper keeper’ was also noticeable, as was his commanding of the backline. Turner did have one very important save to make after Amahl Pellegrino was played in behind, but the American got down low and palmed it away to ensure he claimed his back-to-back clean sheet.
Arsenal fans were unanimous in naming Turner Man of the Match and ensured he got plenty of recognition on social media at full-time. "Matt Turner MOTM. Actually really impressed with his performance today in all aspects," one fan said. Another wrote: "Loving all the appreciation for Matt Turner on the timeline. He’s not the USA #1 keeper for nothing."
Arteta was also full of praise for his summer signing but reiterated there’s still room for improvement. “He’s improving, he’s getting better, we are demanding things that are different to what other managers have demanded him to do,” Arteta said.
“He was much better in the first half than the second half. In my opinion we can have more control, he was phenomenal in goal, the way he reads the situation, especially the defending the back of the central defenders, when he needs to control the space there, the way he set himself in the one on one situation he had, was really good.”
When asked if he was confident in Turner starting in the Premier League at some point, Arteta simply replied: “Yes”. All in all, it was a very good night for Turner, who has gained some much-needed confidence and momentum over the past two weeks. Thanks to his display and Saka’s goal, Arsenal now sit top of Group A with nine points.
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