Matt Turner is set to join Arsenal in the summer, and he says he’s ready to challenge Aaron Ramsdale for a starting spot in the team.
New England Revolution recently officially announced that their goalkeeper Matt Turner is set to join Arsenal in the summer.
The expectation is that Turner will be joining as a backup to Aaron Ramsdale, likely replacing Bernd Leno in the squad. But Turner is drawing on his personal history as motivation to try and take the number one spot.
“When I got my first chance with the national team, it was only as a No. 3,” Turner said.
“No one ever really took me seriously, so I’m not going over there just to collect a cheque and ride off into the sunset.
“I’m going to push myself, I’m going to push Aaron and continue to help him get better and help myself get better.”
As Turner highlights, he was initially only given a shot with the U.S. Men’s National Team as a rotation option. He was 26 years old by the time he made his debut last February, but he’s since gone on to fight his way into the starting lineup.
The goalkeeper played every minute of the Gold Cup in 2021 as the US won the entire competition (with five clean sheets in six matches), and most recently he played all three of their World Cup qualifiers over the January break.
In total, he’s up to 11 clean sheets in 16 internationals, so that will give him confidence he can make a similar breakthrough at Arsenal.
Perhaps Mikel Arteta’s decision to drop Leno for Ramsdale this season will also give Turner hope. Ramsdale played his way into the team, so the number one spot clearly isn’t set in stone.
It’s just going to be a real challenge to displace Ramsdale after a season where the current starting Arsenal goalkeeper is fighting for the Premier League Golden Glove.
Whether he makes it into the Arsenal team or not, Turner admits it was hard to say no to the opportunity to make the move and give it a shot.
“I understand that it’s really challenging to get your foot in the door,” Turner added.
“So it’s really hard to say no to not only the chance to go fulfil a dream, but also to go challenge myself at the highest level and play for one of the biggest, most recognisable brands in the world in Arsenal.”