"This wasn’t a great move" - Pundit says former Arsenal star shouldn't have left the club last summer

Former USA striker Charlie Davies has told Matt Turner that he made a mistake leaving Arsenal for Nottingham Forest.

Turner left the Gunners last summer and joined Forest in a £10 million deal. The American goalkeeper wanted more game time after a difficult year at the Emirates in which he made just seven appearances.

However, the 29-year-old's form at the City Ground has been questionable this season. He's made several glaring mistakes and has looked nervy with his side fighting relegation.

Davies touched on Turner's switch by highlighting the difference in quality between the two Premier League clubs. He said (via TBR Football):

"Let’s just say in hindsight this wasn’t a great move to leave Arsenal for Nottingham Forest. In hindsight to look back and say you’re leaving a team in the Champions League and competing for the Premier League title to go to Forest where the quality drops drastically, and you’re going to be blamed for a lot of issues because your backline isn’t strong."

Turner has made 18 appearances across competitions this season, keeping three clean sheets. Forest sit 16th in the league, four points above the drop zone after 21 games.

However, the USA international would've faced an uphill battle in trying to forge his way into Mikel Arteta's first team at Arsenal. The Spanish coach brought fellow countryman David Raya to the Emirates from Brentford and he's displaced Aaron Ramsdale as the Gunners' new No.1.

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Matt Turner felt he did everything in his power to earn game time at Arsenal

Matt Turner failed to impress at Arsenal.

Turner only spent a year with the north Londoners and struggled for first-team opportunities. He was the club's cup competition goalkeeper during the 2022-23 campaign, keeping four clean sheets in seven games.

The former New England Revolution shot-stopper admitted his decision to leave Arsenal stemmed from a lack of game time. He said (via football.london):

"I think towards the end of the season when I felt like there was games that I could have been playing that I wasn't even getting really a sniff of them. I was training really well, doing, I felt like, everything in my power to get myself minutes on the team and that just wasn't happening for me."

Ramsdale is in a similar situation to Turner regarding his place in Arteta's squad this season. The England international was the Gunners' No.1 throughout last season but has now become their cup competition goalkeeper.

Turner's move to the City Ground where he's enjoyed a more prominent role could give Ramsdale food for thought. He has two years left on his contract and will want game time ahead of Euro 2024 with England in the summer.