Arsenal defender Rob Holding lauded former Gunners goalkeeper Matt Turner after his performance in Nottingham Forest’s clash against Sheffield United on Friday (August 18).
Nottingham hosted newly promoted Sheffield in the Premier League on Friday. Taiwo Awoniyi scored for the hosts in the third minute before Gustavo Hamer restored parity in the 48th minute. Substitute Chris Wood won the game for Nottingham with a brilliant header in the 89th minute.
Turner, while unable to keep a clean sheet, made two key saves and made 18 passes out of 26 attempted. The USMNT goalkeeper shared a post on Instagram with the caption:
“+3. Felt Good to be at home”
Holding, who shared the pitch six times with Turner during their time together at Arsenal, commented:
“Legend”
Turner joined the Gunners from New England Revolution last summer, having agreed a pre-contract in January 2022. However, he was behind Aaron Ramsdale in the pecking order and made just seven appearances across competitions, keeping four clean sheets.
The 29-year-old moved to Nottingham Forest this summer in a deal worth £10 million. He faced Arsenal at the Emirates in his first game for the Tricky Trees last week, losing 2-1.
What Matt Turner said about asking to leave Arsenal in search of game time
The USMNT goalkeeper didn’t make a Premier League appearance for the Gunners last season. Five of Matt Turner’s seven appearances came in the UEFA Europa League, with the other two coming in the FA Cup.
He was certainly looking for more playing time and hence asked to leave Arsenal this summer. In an interview with ESPN, Turner said that he now wants to prove himself in the Premier League:
“I think for me it was something that was definitely on my mind. I wanted to go and play and find places to play, but at the end of last season when I brought that up, it very much seemed like it wasn’t on the cards from conversations with the front office, staff members.”
He added:
“If there was ever a league in Europe that I wanted to play in, it was this one, so it’s been a goal of mine to prove myself in the Premier League, and, hopefully, I can do that for 37 more games.”
In the interview, Turner also expressed his regret at not being able to play more for Arsenal, but he added that his move to the Emirates helped him become the USMNT No. 1.