Arsenal have announced the loan departure of a fourth first-team player, with goalkeeper Alex Runarsson joining Alanyaspor for the season.
The 27-year-old joined the Gunners as one of Mikel Arteta’s signings back in the summer of 2020 following a switch from Dijon for just over £1.5m.
Since then, Runarsson has made just six appearances for the first team with game time limited to just the cup competitions and one showing in the Premier League as a substitute.
🤝 Hoş geldin Runar Alex Runarsson! pic.twitter.com/xqFgVdVse2
— Corendon Alanyaspor 🌊☀️ (@Alanyaspor) August 15, 2022
An Icelandic international, Runarsson was handed a lifeline last season and joined OH Leuven, a Belgian side where he picked up 20 appearances as a regular.
But following the signing of Matt Turner and promotion of Karl Hein to the Gunners senior squad, Arsenal have been trying to find a solution for Runarsson.
And whilst it’s been reported for a while that Runarsson was in talks with Alanyaspor, we now know that it will definitely just be a straight loan with no option or obligation to buy.
I very much doubt we will see a future for him in a red and white shirt so the main thing this move will do is open up a space in the squad and reduce the wage bill slightly.
Alanyaspor are currently unbeaten in the Turkish Super Lig having started the season with one win and a draw as they look to challenge for Europa League qualification.