It’s unlikely that Arsenal supporters will lose a lot of sleep over this, but their hunt for a number two goalkeeper will need to go on after they’ve missed out on Maty Ryan.
It had been reported earlier in the summer that Mikel Arteta was keen to keep the loanee around on a permanent basis, while it had even been suggested that the deal was in place and he would be their first signing.
Ultimately that’s not going to be the case, as Real Sociedad have announced his signing today:
He does have some experience in La Liga with Valencia so he’s returning to a familiar league, and there will be an expectation that he pushes for the first-team spot next season.
It does leave Arsenal in an interesting situation as Runar Runarsson isn’t good enough to play, while there may be a feeling that Bernd Leno doesn’t fully have Arteta’s trust so they could still sign a starter rather than a backup ahead of next season.
Either way, somebody will have to arrive, but it’s also likely that Leno will be unhappy if he’s likely to lose his place so there’s a delicate balance that Arsenal need to get right with their next move between the sticks.
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