Matt Turner's Summer Transfer To Arsenal Becomes Official
FOXBORO (CBS) -- We've known for a while that Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner was heading overseas to Arsenal. His transfer became official Friday morning.
The Revolution announced Friday that the club has agreed to terms for the 2021 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year to join the English Premier League club for an undisclosed fee, pending completion of a medical.
Turner will still stop shots for the Revs for the next few months, as he won't be joining Arsenal until late June. That will allow him to remain with New England through the entirety of the 2022 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League campaign and nearly half of the 2022 MLS regular season.
Turner is bummed that he's leaving the Revolution, but grateful for the opportunity ahead -- and all the memories he's made in New England.
"The feelings are a lot," Turner told WBZ-TV's Levan Reid on Friday. "Gratefulness to this organization, the Krafts, Bruce [Arena], [Revolution president] Brian Bilello, my teammates over the years and the fans. For believing in me early on, giving me opportunities, believing in me when I wasn't playing my best, and continuing to push me to want to be a better soccer player and a better goalkeeper. I'm so grateful for this area shaping me into the person I've become.
"To go overseas and realize a dream of mine, to play in the Premier League, it's stuff stories are made of -- children's books and whatever," added Turner.
The 27-year-old Turner has been New England's starting keeper since 2018 after joining the club as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He's had an incredible career with the Revs, posting 21 clean sheets in 97 regular-season starts. Five of those came in 2021 as Turner helped New England win the club's first-ever Supporters' Shield.