Arsenal goalkeeper Mathew Ryan has issued a heartfelt apology to Brighton fans after his comments were viewed as ‘disrespectful’ by many people a few days ago.
The Aussie international joined us on loan until the end of the season last month. He proudly revealed that he was a Gooner and he really played like one on his debut against Aston Villa last week.
In an interview with Optus Sport a few days ago, he claimed that he always looked at Brighton as a stepping stone, and that didn’t go down well with Seagulls supporters.
Ryan: I only wanted to stay at Brighton for two years
He said: “I had in my mind a little bit of a plan that I wanted to play a couple of seasons at Brighton and try and do well and hopefully be bought by a bigger club and keep progressing in my career.
“Perhaps it didn’t work out in the way of playing two, three seasons and then being bought for a fee as No.1 and going and playing. But one way or another I’ve obviously ended up in a massive step up from Brighton and to another level of football”
Ryan has now issued an apology to his parent club for the above comments.
He replied to an Instagram clip of his interview posted by TalkSeagulls saying: “Hey mate, it’s been brought to my attention that there’s been a few people who’ve been upset/disappointed with some comments I’ve made in this interview and I want to apologise to anyone who has felt I’ve been disrespectful towards the club, this was not and never will be my intention.
“I recognise how people could have interpreted that through those comments and moving forward I’ll be sure to pay extra attention as to how I refer to the club to not have the same outcome.
“The club will always have a special place in my heart as I said and I’ve got nothing but fond memories and wish all the best to you all for the remainder of the season and I’ll always continue to support the club because of our experiences together.”
Arsenal Insider’s view
You can’t blame a guy for having big ambitions in his career. Ryan joined Brighton a few years ago and did everything he could for them. He always wanted to end up at a bigger club, and he was honest about that in his interview.
However, it is understandable why Brighton fans have taken it the wrong way. It does sound like he’s being slightly disrespectful, but can you really blame him after they told him to find a new club last month?
It does look like his apology has gone down well with Brighton fans. It’s unlikely he’ll ever have a place there once his loan spell ends, but he might well have a spot open at the Emirates if he takes any chance he gets in the next few months.
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