USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner says he is "excited" to make the move to Arsenal ahead of his expected transfer, with the shotstopper admitting he is looking forward to not thinking of the Premier League as some sort of "mystical foreign land".
The outgoing New England Revolution star agreed a deal to head to the Emirates Stadium at the start of 2022, with the 27-year-old rewarded with a switch to Europe after his fine form both for club and country over the past few seasons.
With the knowledge of his switch however, Turner has had to play the waiting game to get over to North London - and with his final medical now looming, he admits that it feels "surreal" to be making the switch to one of England's most storied clubs.
How does Turner feel about joining Arsenal?
"I'm feeling good," the Stars and Stripes international stated on his move. "I'm feeling extremely excited, grateful obviously for this opportunity to play for such a historic club with an amazing fan base.
"It’s surreal so I'm looking forward to getting my boots on the ground in the UK and getting to work, not thinking of it as this like mystical foreign land and just really going over there and putting the work in because that's what I do best. I'm going to go there and I'm going to work really, really hard.
"My goalkeeper coach here is from London, his family is still over there. I have people that I can rely on, people that can hold me accountable and get together to destress a little bit. I know that I'll have people that I can rely on over there so I'm not really concerned in that matter.”
What role will Turner play at Arsenal?
Much like Zack Steffen at Manchester City, Turner appears to be arriving at the Emirates Stadium to fulfil a role already held by an undisputed first choice, in the shape of Aaron Ramsdale.
That would suggest a second fiddle position to the England international, who endured a tough Nations League campaign amid a fatigued, experimental Three Lions line-up ahead of Qatar 2022.
But with Turner needing to challenge for his own World Cup spot, he will be keen to ensure he is more than just a potential cup goalkeeper - and could well provide Mikel Arteta with a few headaches if his warning to his soon-to-be team-mate over not merely collecting cheques turns out to be true.