According to The Mirror, Arsenal goalkeeper Runar Runarsson is ‘on the verge’ of leaving for Turkish side Altay SK after just a year in North London.
Football.London’s Chris Wheatley has added on Instagram that a one-year loan deal is now imminent with Runarsson on the move.
Altay won promotion to the top flight of Turkish football this past season and seemingly want Runarsson as their first-choice stopper as they look to stay up.
The move will surely signal Arsenal signing another goalkeeper soon, as well as Arsenal showing that they made something of a mistake last summer.
When the Gunners sold Emiliano Martinez to Aston Villa, they needed to find a new backup for Bernd Leno.
They struck a very cheap deal for Runarsson, paying just £1million to sign him from Dijon. This came on the recommendation of goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana, who worked with Runarsson at Nordsjaelland.
The move seemed a gamble. Runarsson wasn’t Dijon’s first choice, he wasn’t even Iceland’s first choice. The 26-year-old was given a big move to Arsenal, but it became clear he wasn’t of the required quality.
A torrid night against Manchester City in December meant Arsenal had to sign another goalkeeper in January, bringing in Mat Ryan on loan because they just couldn’t risk Runarsson playing again.
After just six appearances for Arsenal, it would now be a huge surprise to ever see Runarsson play for the club again even if he comes back after this loan move to Turkey.
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