Former Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner finds himself at the centre of a mounting benching debate after a blunder contributed to Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 defeat to Liverpool.
The American, who was sold to Forest for £10 million, misjudged a long ball that was easily converted by Mohamed Salah, intensifying calls for his replacement.
Former Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Turner is under increasing scrutiny at Nottingham Forest after an error allowed Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah to score in a 3-0 defeat on Sunday.
The blunder added to Forest’s challenges this season and has intensified calls for Turner to be benched.
Turner, who spent only a year with the Gunners, left the club the summer in pursuit of more playing time.
During his tenure at Arsenal, he was the second-choice goalkeeper behind Aaron Ramsdale and made a total of seven appearances.
The American goalkeeper was transferred to Nottingham Forest for £10 million and has since played in all 10 of Forest’s Premier League matches, keeping two clean sheets.
The match at Anfield, however, turned out to be less than favourable for Turner.
In the 77th minute, a long ball from Dominik Szoboszlai appeared easily manageable but ended in a disastrous mix-up between Turner and Forest’s left-back Harry Toffolo.
Toffolo had left the ball for Turner to collect, but the goalkeeper, well out of his area, was beaten by the bounce.
The ball ended up in the path of Mohamed Salah who tapped it into an empty net.
It was a sight that surely brings back memories of Manuel Almunia for Arsenal fans.
Premier League players find ways to gift Salah a random needless goal each week, they must all be on the no-Haaland strategypic.twitter.com/k5WHz8bjHy
— FPL Banger Podcast 🎙️ (@FPL_Banger) October 30, 2023
This error punctuated what had already been a challenging game for Nottingham Forest, managed by Steve Cooper. The team were already 2-0 down, thanks to goals from Darin Nunez and Diogo Jota who scored within a span of four minutes.
While Turner’s momentary lapse was glaring, it was not the sole reason for Forest’s defeat.
The club has been navigating a difficult season, and calls for a shake-up have been in the air for some time. Turner’s recent mistake has only intensified those discussions with his side in 16th place, collecting 10 points from 10 games (though that’s only two points behind Chelsea after the same number of games).
Despite the setback, Turner’s overall record since joining Forest has shown moments of promise, including those two clean sheets.
However, it remains to be seen whether this recent error will have a long-lasting impact on his position at the club.
As Forest seeks to regain its footing in the Premier League, all eyes will be on how Steve Cooper manages his squad, and whether Turner will continue to hold his starting position in the upcoming matches.