Matt Turner is set to get his third chance with a Premier League team in the same amount of years with a move to Crystal Palace. The USMNT goalkeeper previously joined Arsenal in the summer of 2022 as a backup for England international Aaron Ramsdale. After a fairly successful campaign, Turner moved on to Nottingham Forest a year later.
The American made the move to become a regular starter at Forest. While he was initially the number one between the sticks, Turner eventually fell in the rankings. In fact, he essentially became the third-choice keeper in the later stages of the 2023/24 season. As a result, Forest brass looked to offload the USMNT star before the end of the month.
It was recently reported that Forest rejected multiple loan offers for Turner because they preferred to sell him. This would be a way for the club to recoup at least some of the money that they paid Arsenal. Forest previously gave the Gunners around $9 million to sign Turner. Suitable permanent bids, however, never came. Forest eventually had to bite the bullet and accept a loan deal from Crystal Palace before the transfer deadline.
Palace finds new backup after selling keeper to Wolves
Turner will now likely be behind another England international in the pecking order at Palace. Dean Henderson is the undisputed number one for manager Oliver Glasner. The Eagles needed a backup at the position after recently sanctioning a deal to send Sam Johnstone to Wolves. The fellow Midlands side paid Forest around $13 million for the keeper.
Featuring for three different teams in three years is less than ideal for any player. However, Turner previously claimed that he had to leave Arsenal when he did to remain in the Premier League. Despite only playing seven total matches with the Gunners, he played well in a limited role.
“I knew that if I waited another year, it would probably have been more challenging for me to make a lateral move within the Premier League,” Turner said after switching to Forest.
“So I knew that time was of the essence at that point. If I went another season without playing, I would have probably had to take a step back and once you’re out of it, it’s hard to get back into it, especially when you’re not English.”
Matt Turner at Palace is the best-case scenario for the goalkeeper
The move to Forest may not have gone as planned but he is getting another chance with Palace. While Turner is set to be number two again, moving to Palace is the best way for the American to remain in the Premier League. After all, he would have likely not received much playing time, if any, this season if he stayed at Forest.
Palace is also probably a better overall team compared to Forest as well. The Eagles ended the 2023/24 campaign on fire and ultimately finished 10th in the table. Forest, on the other hand, found themselves in a relegation battle and only narrowly avoided the drop back in May.
As the number two at Palace, Turner could receive playing time in cup competitions. Henderson was recently the starter for a Carabao Cup matchup with Norwich earlier in the week. Nevertheless, Wolves were already discussing a move for Johnstone at the time. Henderson has also missed time in each of the last four seasons due to minor injuries as well.
If Turner does get a chance to play in the Carabao Cup, his debut is likely to happen in mid-September when Palace plays QPR in a London derby.
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