Mikel Arteta has hinted that Alex Runarsson is set to stay at Arsenal this month despite the arrival of Matty Ryan, as he told his pre-match press conference ahead of the Southampton clash.
The Athletic did report that Arsenal’s now third-choice goalkeeper is set to go out on loan this month after his early struggles in North London.
The 25-year-old had a game to forget during Arsenal’s League Cup exit against Manchester City last month.
But Arteta has seemingly sprung a surprise by saying that ‘every squad needs three goalkeepers’ which clearly hints that Runarsson will stay put.
“Every squad needs three goalkeepers and they have to compete with each other,” said Arteta. “They have to challenge each other and everybody would get this role.
“And after you get the role, you have to just support each other again to get the best out of all of them and this is the role.
“Come here and try to make us better.”
Whilst Arsenal have Europa League games and Premier League matches still do deal with this season.
It would be a surprise to see Arsenal’s £40k-a-week summer signing [Spotrac] don the gloves again given that performance against Man City.
It’s quite clear that Ryan has been brought in to aide Bernd Leno and the Australian will more than likely replace him between the sticks if Arteta opts for any change.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
