Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner has now revealed he clashed with a few teammates at Arsenal before the World Cup during his brief Emirates Stadium stint.
The 29-year-old spent just a season in north London before moving to the City Ground this summer. Nottingham Forest lured Turner away from Arsenal for an initial £7m, with add-ons taking the fee to £10m. He quit the Gunners having only played seven times for Mikel Arteta.
Turner ‘knew that time was of the essence’ to leave Arsenal having appeared so infrequently under Arteta. He turned out in just five Europa League fixtures and two FA Cup games. Aaron Ramsdale even also came in for the Europa League last 16 second-leg with Sporting Lisbon.
Nottingham Forest’s Turner reveals clashing with teammates at Arsenal
Life at Nottingham Forest has already returned more appearances for Turner than at Arsenal. Steve Cooper has used the 33-cap USMNT international in all eight of the Reds’ games this term. He also has one clean sheet after shutting out Chelsea in a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
But while Nottingham Forest believe in him, Turner has revealed that he clashed with some of his teammates at Arsenal. Although the New Jersey native would have the last laugh and loved the feeling after thriving as the USA held England to a 0-0 draw during the World Cup.
“It wasn’t bad, at all, my teammates,” Turner told CBS Sports. “I don’t get affected by that. They try to talk [rubbish] or whatever and I’m just like, ‘Well, you’re not playing and you’re not playing’. I did [shut them out with my performance against England]. That felt so good.
“Oh, that felt so good. It gave me street cred around England, too. People would see me and be like, ‘Ah, great game’. It kind of brought us into the society.”
Turner got the last laugh with his display for the USMNT against England
Turner was one of the standout performers of the Group B stalemate between the USA and England at Qatar 2022. The goalkeeper put aside his lack of minutes at Arsenal to turn away Mason Mount’s effort just before half-time. His distribution also proved vital for the USMNT.
Whilst England rarely forced Turner to make many big saves, he showed Arsenal that he can play with the ball at his feet to set up the USMNT’s game. His passes often sprung the Stars and Stripes into counter-attacks, including a precise long pass to release Christian Pulisic.
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