Former Gunner completes 5th transfer in 4 years since leaving Arsenal

Former Arsenal goalkeeper Mat Ryan is on the move again, joining RC Lens from AS Roma in a January transfer deal.

Less than four years ago, Mat Ryan joined Arsenal on a loan transfer from Brighton & Hove Albion, and the goalkeeper has been constantly on the move since then.

Ryan initially returned to Brighton in the summer of 2021, before signing for Real Sociedad. A year later, the goalkeeper transferred to FC Copenhagen, and six months after that he joined AZ Alkmaar.

After a year and a half in the Netherlands, Ryan returned to one of Europe’s big-five leagues by joining AS Roma on a free transfer last summer, but just six months on, he’s signed for Ligue 1’s RC Lens.

Interestingly, Ryan has only signed with Lens until the end of the season, but it’s not a loan move. AS Roma make that very clear, writing that the goalkeeper is leaving in a permanent deal. The fee is reportedly €800k (£676k).

So Ryan will be a free agent again in a few months, and he could start negotiations with his next club right now if he wanted to.

With the World Cup coming up in 2026, it’s probably fair to suggest that Ryan is keeping his options open to ensure he’ll be playing regularly in the build-up to the tournament.

The 32-year-old has made 96 appearances for his country, and he’ll want to keep adding to that on the biggest stage in 2026.

Australia have to qualify for the tournament first, but they’re in a decent position to do so. They sit second in their qualification group, with the top-two advancing directly to the World Cup.