Australia’s Mat Ryan joins Arsenal on loan

London: Australian national team shot-stopper Mat Ryan will link up with London giants Arsenal after sealing a loan deal from Brighton and Hove Albion on Friday.

The deal, which lasts until the end of the season, sees Ryan join the team he grew up supporting and interrupts a three-and-a-half-year spell with Brighton.

An ever-present for Brighton since his arrival in 2017, Ryan fell out of favour after a 3-0 loss to Leicester City in December 2020, paving the way for a move to the 13-time English champions.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta welcomed the 28-year-old custodian, saying: “We know Mat very well through his performances with Brighton in recent seasons and he brings additional quality to our squad.

“Mat has very good Premier League experience and has played over 100 times in the league, which is something that will benefit us greatly on and off the pitch.

“We welcome Mat to Arsenal and look forward to working with him this season,” he concluded.

After bursting onto the scene as an 18-year-old in Australia’s A-League, Ryan has established himself as the country’s outstanding shot-stopper, representing the national team on 59 occasions, winning the Best Goalkeeper award when Australia lifted the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 and remaining their first choice in the 2019 edition of the tournament,

He was also the Socceroos’ number one at the 2014 and 2018 FIFA World Cups.

Ryan’s success has taken him to a number of clubs throughout Europe, including Spain’s Valencia and Belgian clubs Club Brugge and KRC Genk, winning the Belgian Cup with Brugge in 2015.

The Australian joins a talented goalkeeping pool at Arsenal, with German international Bernd Leno and Iceland’s Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson also on the books at the Emirates Stadium.