Arsenal are one of the clubs interested in signing Mat Ryan permanently, as per reports in Sky Sports.
The 29-year-old spent the second half of last season at the Emirates after joining the club on loan from Brighton in January. He was initially signed by the Seagulls in 2017 from Valencia. Since then he has played in 123 games and has kept 27 clean sheets for the South coast club.
The Australian international had been the go-to man for them between the sticks until the start of last season when Robert Sanchez replaced Ryan as the club’s first-choice keeper after some splendid performances.
The former Valencia shot-stopper had a solid loan spell at the north London club. He played in three games for the club and has impressed Mikel Arteta in this short stint. Arteta clearly is a fan of Ryan having branded him a ‘beast‘ in training.
Sky Sports are reporting that Arsenal are interested in signing the Brighton keeper on a permanent basis this summer. He is also attracting interest from clubs in Spain and France. They also suggest that the Australian is keen to be the first-choice keeper and will weigh up his options before deciding on his next move.
Bernd Leno is reportedly up for sale and could leave the club this summer. The Gunners are also after other goalkeepers and Andre Onana is one of them. They are expected to launch a transfer bid for the Cameroonian after a favorable verdict on his ban from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Arsenal Fever View:
Ryan has been a solid backup to Bernd Leno last season and has plenty of experience in the Premier League. He has a year left in his current contract with Brighton but Graham Potter has no plans to continue with the Australian. This means that Arsenal could be able to complete the deal for a bargain considering the player’s caliber.
Andre Onana has been Arsenal’s number one target and the favorable verdict on his ban could prove to be a catalyst in the deal. However, the Cameroonian wouldn’t be eligible to play for the Emirates club until November.
This could leave the north Londoners with no experienced shot-stopper considering the potential departure of Leno. This could tempt the club to sign Ryan as a short-term solution to this problem.
The Australian international also has a dressing room presence due to his age and experience, which can only benefit this young team. His dedication in training and hunger for game time will provide healthy competition to the club’s first-choice keeper.
