Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has told The London Evening Standard that he does not know if Mathew Ryan will be at the club next season as well.
Ryan recently joined Arsenal on loan from Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion in the January transfer window.
The 28-year-old Australia international goalkeeper is scheduled to stay at the Gunners until the end of the season.
Arteta has said that no decision has been made on whether or not the former Valencia goalkeeper’s loan deal will be made permanent in the summer of 2021.
The Spaniard told The London Evening Standard when asked if Ryan’s move could be made permanent in the summer of 2021: “I don’t know, he just arrived.
“At the moment it’s a loan deal, he still has a contract with Brighton and we will assess it – see how he performs, how he adapts, what we need in the future. It’s still too early to decide.
“He’s a player that knows the league really well. He’s played so many games, he’s got international experience, he’s at the right age, he’s been competing regularly until December and we felt with the departure of Matt Macey [to Hibernian] we needed another keeper in the team to be more protected.”
Too early to say
Ryan has only just arrived at Arsenal, and understandably, the club will not make a decision on his long-term future rightaway.
Bernd Leno is – and will remain – the first choice between the posts, and it is up to Ryan to push the German and dislodge him from the starting lineup.
The Australian knows the Premier League well and is a good goalkeeper, and he should have confidence that he will impress the coaches in training and the fans if and when he gets the chance to play.
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