Arsenal and Nottingham Forest commence their Premier League seasons on Saturday in what will now be the Matt Turner Cup.
The United States Men’s National Team No. 1 and Arsenal No. 2 is moving on to Forest with the two sides striking a deal worth £7 million, with a further potential £3 million in add-ons.
Season Opener FYIs
Nottingham Forest at Arsenal FC
Kickoff: Saturday, Aug 12, 12:30 pm, Emirates Stadium
Arsenal Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 77% Draw 14% Nottingham Forest 9%
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Turner joined Arsenal a year ago for £5 million from the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer. Although he featured seven times and kept five clean sheets last season, he never played in the league.
Will he make his Premier League debut against his now soon-to-be-former team?
Well it’s possible, provided he is registered as a member of the Tricky Trees Forest player by 12 noon Friday, August 11, per Premier League regulations.
Arsenal Team News and Transfer Talk
Matt Turner is heading through the exit door as Brentford goalkeeper David Raya comes in. The Spaniard makes the southern trip across London on a deal that is potentially worth up to £30 million.
Elsewhere Albert Lokonga will be ruled out of this one, officially, due to a muscle injury, but the real issue is his unresolved future. The midfielder needs to move elsewhere in order to find playing time.
Reiss Nelson is an injury doubt here while Folarin Balogun probably won’t feature as the club/his agent is focused on figuring out where he’ll play next season. Arsenal rejected a bid from AS Monaco while the player himself is prioritizing Inter Milan as the destination.
Gabriel Jesus (re-aggravation of his knee injury) remains out as a long-term injury absentee. Oleksandr Zinchenko has also missed time lately, but he could be in the mix here provided he overcomes his on-going calf issue by Saturday.
Switching over to Forest, Wayne Hennessey (knee) and Omar Richards (groin) are out of commission for this one. Meanwhile Felipe Monteiro (knee) is a doubt.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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