Arsenal have announced the arrival of Dijon goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson as the replacement for the departed Emiliano Martinez.
After weeklong speculation, Arsenal have finally announced the capture of Runar Alex Runarsson. The Dijon goalkeeper joins the club on a four-year contract, with the deal reportedly worth around £1.8 million, according to The Guardian.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Alex to our squad. We have been monitoring him for some time and from the analysis, he has strong attributes that we look for in a goalkeeper and as a person.”, Arsenal’s club director Edu said in an official statement.
Mikel Arteta also voiced his happiness to have finally signed a replacement for Emiliano Martinez, stating, “We want to create healthy competition for places and we look forward to seeing Alex bring further depth to the goalkeeping position.”
Unfortunately, Runarsson might not be fit and ready for Arsenal’s upcoming game against Leicester City, in the third round of the Carabao Cup. However, the Iceland international is almost destined to take up the role of being the second choice ‘keeper for the Gunners, following the departure of Martinez.
New club. New country. New number.
Alex Runarsson. Our No 13 ? pic.twitter.com/gqLydIHQvL
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) September 21, 2020
The Argentine moved to Aston Villa earlier this month for a reported fee of £20 million. He switched to Villa Park in search of regular game-time, as after all, he was one of Premier League’s best goalkeepers during the backend of last season, notably attaining a save percentage rate of almost 80%.
Martinez’s departure from Emirates was a massive loss for Arsenal. But, Arteta will now hope that Runarsson can fill the void left by the Argentine, in the coming years.
A key part of the Iceland national team with five caps, Runarsson is certainly much more accomplished at the international stage. However, the fact that Martinez had ten years of experience in English football is something that is going to be hard to replace, as far as Arsenal are concerned.
On the flip side, however, the Gunners have made a net profit of around £18 million, which could serve as a massive boost for Arteta. The Spaniard is in desperate need of reinforcements in the midfield department, with Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos serving as the only reliable options.
