Goalkeeper Rúnar Alex Rúnarsson has become our eighth signing of the summer, having joined on a season-long loan from Arsenal, subject to clearance.
The 28-year-old began his career with his hometown club KR Reykjavik, also having spells at Nordsjælland and Dijon prior to moving to Arsenal in 2020.
Since his move to the Emirates Stadium, Rúnarsson has spent time on loan at Belgian club OH Leuven and Turkish outfit Alanyaspor. The goalkeeper made 30 league appearances in the Süper Lig last season, keeping six clean sheets. Rúnarsson also has international experience, with 24 caps under his belt for Iceland.
Upon signing for the Bluebirds, Alex said: “I’m very happy to get the deal over the line. It took some time, but I’m pleased to be here. The Club made contact with my agent and said that they wanted to sign me, I know it’s a big club and it sparked my interest right away.
“I spoke to Gunnars [Aron Gunnarsson] before signing and the first thing he said was ‘go’ and that he loved it here. The manager also spoke to me about the playing style, what he wants from me, what he wants from the team and how he sees my role within the team. He saw me play in Turkey when I was on loan there, so it’s good that I’m coming to play for a manager that knows me and knows my qualities.
“I’m really excited to play in front of the fans. Seeing the stadium, I can feel the atmosphere in the air, so I’m looking forward playing in front of fans. When I signed for Arsenal, it was during Covid, so I didn’t get to experience British football with the fans, so I’m excited to play in that atmosphere.”
Boss Erol Bulut added: “I know Alex from Alanyaspor, when he was on loan there. We could see on the field that when he had the ball, he was really good with his feet, he can play out with the ball and that’s what I want. He is also really quick, has good reactions and is good under crosses.
“I think he will help us a lot. Whoever gives the best performance for us out of our three goalkeepers will stay in goal and will be starting.
“Mario [Galinović] knows him from Turkey and he likes him as well. We tried to find the best that was available to us and we’ve done that I think.”
