Date: 17th August 2022 at 5:00am
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Arsenal have announced that goalkeeper Alex Runarsson has left the club to join Turkish side Alanyaspor for the rest of the season.

THE LOWDOWN: UNPLEASANT ARSENAL CAREER

Alex Runarsson joined Arsenal in 2020 as a replacement for Emiliano Martinez, who transferred to Aston Villa after an eight-year stint in North London. He served as Bernd Leno’s deputy for the 2020/21 campaign but his performances were not convincing enough.

He will be fondly remembered for his error against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup and never recovered from that incident. In total, he made six appearances during his first season for the club, but he fell down the pecking order when Ramsdale arrived in the summer of 2021.

In search of playing time, he was sent out on a season-long loan to Belgian side OH Leuven, where he kept two clean sheets in 20 appearances.

THE LATEST: EXIT CONFIRMED

Forgotten Arsenal goalkeeper Alex Runarsson has now completed his move to Turkish Super Lig side Alanyaspor.

A statement on the club’s website confirmed that the move is a season-long one as opposed to reports of a permanent move that made the rounds on social media.

“Alex Runarsson has joined Turkish Super Lig side Alanyaspor on a season-long loan. The 27-year-old goalkeeper joined us in September 2020 from French side Dijon FCO. The Icelandic international spent the 2021/2022 season on loan in Belgium at OH Leuven, where he made 20 appearances in all competitions.”

“Everyone at Arsenal wishes Alex all the best this coming season with Alanyaspor. The loan deal is subject to the completion of regulatory processes.”

THE VERDICT: APT DECISION

Alex Runarsson’s time at the club was nearing its end when Aaron Ramsdale first arrived. The exit of Bernd Leno would have pushed him up the pecking order but Matt Turner arrived from the US to be Ramsdale’s deputy. At 27, the Icelandic goalkeeper would not want to be a third choice at the Emirates, hence the decision to leave.

He becomes the 7th player to depart the Emirates this summer- Lucas Torreira and Bernd Leno left for Galatasaray and Fulham respectively, while Nuno Tavares and Folarin Balogun have both left for Ligue 1 on loan, joining Marseille and Stade de Reims for the upcoming season respectively.

Recently, Pablo Mari joined Italian side Monza on a loan deal with an obligation to buy the player should they preserve their top-flight status at the end of the season.

More exits are still expected but the few ones done by Mikel Arteta and Edu in the past few days have been spot on.

 

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