Arsenal supporters of a certain age don’t like Nani.
That’s because back in 2008, Nani – then at Manchester United – took showboating a little too far when he did a series of jogging kick-ups on the field against Arsenal.
The Old Trafford outfit were winning 4-0 at the time and he could perhaps be considered to have disrespected Arsene Wenger’s side.
Nani in particular made a fool of poor Justin Hoyte on the night, with the Hale End graduate trying and failing to dispossess the Portugal international for what seemed like five minutes, before falling over.
And that’s why Arsenal supporters will love the player who Mikel Arteta and Edu are reportedly about to sign.
According to ESPN, the Emirates Stadium outfit have agreed a £7.4 million deal with New England Revolution to sign goalkeeper Matt Turner, who will join this summer.
Incredibly, Turner is something of a penalty specialist and has saved nine of the 20 spot-kicks that he’s faced throughout his career, which is a phenomenal record when you think about it.
The former Manchester United winger knows about how good the Arsenal-bound stopper is from 12 yards, after Turner denied Nani not once, but twice from the spot in recent years.
But Turner really made a mug of Nani in September.
Having missed his first one against Turner, Nani played it safe by going down the middle, but the USA international read his intentions and denied him once again, leaving the 35-year-old with egg on his face and feeling smaller than a boot stud, like Hoyte 14 years ago.
Of course, Arsenal fans won’t particularly care about that if Turner winds up being an American equivalent of Alex Runarsson next season, but giving a villainous figure among Gooners a taste of his own medicine means that the 27-year-old will join as a popular figure.
Whatever happens from there is down to him.
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