Why Nottingham Forest fan chants are making USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner ‘blush’ following his £10m summer transfer from Arsenal

The United States international goalkeeper was taken to the City Ground during the summer transfer window when a £10 million ($12m) deal was struck with Arsenal. Forest needed to find a reliable last line of defence heading into the 2023-24 season, and opted for the man that regularly fills starting duties for the USMNT.

Turner may have been short on game time at Arsenal, but there has been no sign of rust in Nottingham and he has already begun to win over a passionate fan base. The 29-year-old has told Forest TV of becoming the subject of ‘USA, USA’ songs on the terraces: “It makes me blush a little bit. It’s a huge honour to be loved by the fans here, it’s such a historic club, so for the fans to welcome me like they have, my family and I have been speechless. It just makes you want to show up to work every day and repay that love but also continue to earn it. You can’t take it for granted.”

Turner has taken in six appearances for Forest, with a first Premier League clean sheet secured prior to the last international break in a memorable 1-0 win away at Chelsea. He added on his performances for the Reds so far: “I always think I can do a little bit better, that’s the kind of person I am. What I’ve been happy about is that I really feel like I’ve left it all out there in every game. Whether or not I’ve made every save or not, I just want to help the team try to win and get results. Clean sheets are great, but results are what matters at the end of the day.”

Forest have picked up seven points from five Premier League games with Turner between the sticks, but they are now readying themselves for the ultimate test as a daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium to take on 2022-23 Treble winners Manchester City is next on the agenda.