Last summer, he joined the club in a move worth up to £10 million.
Nottingham Forest have struggled in recent seasons to replace a club star who left the City Ground following promotion in 2022.
Brice Samba was instrumental in helping Nottingham Forest end their 23-year Premier League absence, with his most remarkable performance in a Forest shirt coming in his penultimate game for the club, a play-off semi-final triumph over Sheffield United.
Samba made three key saves throughout normal and extra time before becoming a hero in the penalty shootout. He saved spot kicks from Oliver Norwood, Conor Hourihane, and current Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White, propelling the club to Wembley and securing promotion.
However, following the play-off final, Samba opted to return to France, and the goalkeeper left to join Ligue 1 side Lens for £4 million – a steal for the French club.
For the Premier League season, the club signed two goalkeepers on loan: Dean Henderson and Keylor Navas, who arrived on loan but did not stay permanently.
This left them short on goalkeepers, so the team returned to the market last summer.
Matt Turner’s record with Nottingham Forest
During the summer, the Reds agreed to purchase goalkeeper Matt Turner from fellow Premier League club Arsenal for a fee that could rise to £10 million with add-ons.
Turner, an American international, has made 21 appearances for the club since his arrival, conceding 31 goals, with many errors coming from the keeper himself.
His error for Dejan Kulusevski’s goal against Tottenham is just one of several mistakes he’s made, as the former Arsenal player struggles to establish himself in the Forest starting lineup.
That was one of three mistakes that resulted in a goal for the USMNT player in 2023/24, putting him at the top of the premier flight.
| Most errors leading to a goal: 2023/24 PL season | |
|---|---|
| Player | Error count |
| #1 Wes Foderingham | 5 |
| #2 Nathan Collins | 4 |
| #3 Matt Turner | 3 |
| #4 Trent Alexander-Arnold | 2 |
| #5 Alisson, Botman, Sa, Raya, Ream | 2 |
| Stats via Premier League. | |
His errors led to the club signing goalkeeper Matz Sels on deadline day in January, relegating Turner to the number two spot he held during his stint at the Emirates.
How much has Matt Turner cost Nottingham Forest?
In addition to Turner’s £10 million transfer fee, the club paid for his weekly pay. Last summer, the 29-year-old signed a four-year contract, with the American earning £40,000 per week – more than impressive teammates Murillo and Anthony Elanga.
If the former Arsenal goalkeeper finishes his contract at the City Ground, the club would have paid him a stunning £8.3 million in salaries – an absurd figure for a goalie who has struggled since his arrival.
The acquisition for Turner at the time aroused eyebrows, with the Reds investing a significant sum of money on a player who had never previously been a steady number one in England’s top division.
Overall, the deal for the USA number one has failed, with the goalkeeper sliding down the pecking order just seven months after arriving on Trentside.
This summer, the club should aim to cut their losses on Turner by selling the former Arsenal player and reevaluating the goalkeeping situation throughout the transfer window.
