Have we already seen enough of Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson in an Arsenal shirt?

Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson

Have we already seen enough of Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson in an Arsenal shirt? 

By Peter White

Following Arsenal’s undeniably tricky start to the 2020/21 campaign, further cause for criticism in the fallout of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester City was the last thing that anyone at the club would have wanted.

Victory over the defending champions and a place in the competition’s last four might have gone some way to relieving the tension surrounding the Gunners, yet a woeful performance by understudy goalkeeper Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson in a 4-1 defeat did little more than add fuel to an already raging fire.

The 25-year-old may be a relatively established Iceland international, but having arrived with big shoes to fill as the replacement for FA Cup and Community Shield hero Emiliano Martínez, it appears the Emirates stage may be a level too high for him.

Comfortable Europa League wins over Molde, Rapid Vienna and Dundalk twice had provided Rúnarsson with a steady introduction to Arsenal life, but with the stakes so much higher in his latest outing the former Dijon man was firmly brought back down to earth.

The likes of Park Chu Young, Amaury Bischoff and Sebastian Squillaci demonstrate that there has been no shortage of flops in North London over the years, but the reality of Arsenal’s 15th-place position in the Premier League highlights that now is certainly not the time to add to that list.

With Rúnarsson having deleted his Twitter account in the wake of torrid social media abuse this week, we consider whether it’s fair to him or the club to keep him in the first-team picture, and what can be done about it.


Tuesday’s evidence

Boss Mikel Arteta opted to show faith in Rúnarsson for the visit of City, despite doubts lingering around the competence of a keeper who had been second-choice for a team who finished 16th in France's Ligue 1 last season.

Mikel Arteta

Sadly for the Spaniard those doubts were thrust into reality within the first two minutes of the contest, when the stopper came out to punch a cross but got nowhere near it, allowing Gabriel Jesus to nod home and set the tone for a straight forward away win.

Then, in the second half, he provided the game’s biggest talking point with a huge howler. Riyad Mahrez’s free-kick appeared non-threatening, but the effort went straight through Rúnarsson’s hands to sum up a dismal night for the Arsenal No.13.


Is he worth persisting with?

The likes of current goalkeeping stars Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny were themselves guilty of high-profile mistakes early on in their Arsenal careers, before eventually blossoming on the main stage.

But the suggestion of persisting with Rúnarsson is hard to justify. Aged 25 and with over 100 career appearances in the bank, it might be suggested that the Iceland man should be beyond such errors at this stage of his development.

And, with Arsenal in such a vulnerable league position they can scarcely afford to ship more points. While first-team big-hitters such as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Granit Xhaka continue to misfire, Arteta can surely do without the headache of being unable to trust his goalkeeper.


What are the other options?

While No.1 Bernd Leno is expected to quickly regain his place in the XI, thoughts should perhaps now turn to who could possibly come in to replace Rúnarsson as the German’s backup with the January transfer window just around the corner.

Matt Macey - who has made one appearance for the U21s in the Papa John's Trophy this season - remains on Arsenal’s books and could be promoted to the bench, while summer target David Raya of Brentford could be an option despite signing a new deal with the Bees in October.

Plenty of talk has surrounded the possibility of signing a creative player in the New Year, but a solid addition to the goalkeeping ranks to provide worthy competition to Leno could truly bolster Arsenal’s prospects at home and in Europe.

Photo Credit: Getty Images 

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