Matt Turner admits he's had to learn a few new tricks after getting on the wrong side of Mikel Arteta.
While the signings of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zincbeko and Fabio Vieira were greeted with much fanfare, Turner's Arsenal arrival was significantly more downplayed. Agreed in January, the goalkeeper's move from New England Revolution was confirmed during the summer window.
His move to north London meant Bernd Leno was free to join Fulham, leaving the 28-year-old as Aaron Ramsdale's chief understudy. That role has seen his appearances limited to the Europa League, with his fourth of the season set to come against PSV on Thursday night.
But having spent the formative years of his career in the lower reaches of American football, it has been a dramatic rise for Turner. And he revealed his early struggles saw him incur the wrath of Arteta, who shoved him after he gave away the ball.
Ability on the ball is a prerequisite for Arteta's keepers and Turner accepts he has already come a long way under the Gunners manager's guidance. "The expectation is pretty clear for the model that we want to play and that’s something that took a learning curve for when I first got here," he explained.
"I have a tremendous capacity to learn, I’m not the same goalkeeper as six months ago. The demands have changed and you’ve got to adapt and learn new tricks."
On the impact of Arteta's coaching, the American added: "For me, it's about how can I take that to the next level. Working under him has been fantastic.
"He figured out what makes me tick early on I think and sometimes the way we train can come with a bit of failure because you're asked to take more risks than I have done traditionally in the past. But he always picked me up and told me to keep my head up and If I was frustrated, don't show it and keep your head high."
That arm-around-the-shoulder coaching style shows Arteta can wear several different hats on the training pitches at London Colney. His other was a much more tempestuous one, taking umbrage at Turner's sloppy play in an early session.
Speaking to the MLS' official website in September, he said: "We were playing a small possession game and it was really, really tight… I tried to make a pass and I gave the ball away. I sort of visually got frustrated and upset and Arteta just came up to me and shoved me.
"He [Arteta] was basically like, 'I don't want to see that. I don't like seeing that reaction. I want to see you pick yourself up and keep going."
Turner may get the nod in goal for Arsenal, but that isn't a sign of Arsenal taking it easy, knowing a win would all but assure them of top place in the group. Asked about the importance of winning the group, Arteta said: "In Europe when you have the chance to take advantage you have to do it.
"It's always very unpredictable what can happen in the next game. You have to go away and we know the level of the other teams as well. What I can say watching them [PSV] and what they are doing domestically, internationally, [it will be] a really tough match."
