Ipswich Town are closing in on the £8m signing of goalkeeper Arijanet Muric from Burnley. Stuart Watson looks at the Kosovan’s career to date.
CHOOSING KOSOVO
Arijanet Muric – nickname ‘Aro’ - was born and raised in Switzerland to Albanian parents from Montenegro. He holds passports for Switzerland, Montenegro and Kosovo.
He played for Montenegro’s Under-21s twice and was sent off in both games - first for handling the ball outside the box and then, remarkably, for headbutting an opponent. That was a real moment of madness.
In 2018, Muric decided to switch allegiances to Kosovo and currently has 38 caps to his name.
Ahead of a game against Switzerland last September, he said: "I made the decision for Kosovo very early and I would do everything again in the same way.”
Muric will become Town’s second Kosovan international following on from Bersant Celina.
A DREAM MOVE
Muric started youth football in Switzerland for the fabulously named ‘Young Fellows Juventus’. He later played in the academies of Zürich and Grasshoppers.
Then, in 2015, age 16, he was snapped up Manchester City.
“I've always been a City fan, so joining this team was a dream come true,” he said.
DROPPED FOR THE FINAL
Aged 18/19, Muric played for City’s U21s in the EFL Trophy at Rotherham, Bradford and Chesterfield.
He was subsequently loaned out to Dutch side NAC Breda ahead of the 2018/19 season, made his senior debut there, but then swiftly got recalled. That’s because City’s second-choice keeper, Claudio Bravo, had suffered a long-term Achilles injury in training.
A regular on the bench in the Premier League that season, he also played for the first team in every round of the EFL Cup leading up to the final, conceding just once in five games against Oxford, Fulham, Leicester and Burton (x2).
Pep Guardiola had stuck with back-up man Bravo throughout that competition the previous season, including the final against Arsenal. Asked if he would show similar faith with Muric ahead of a Wembley showdown with Chelsea, the Spandiard replied: "We will see – I have to think about it.
“He’s been an important player for us to be where we are. Leicester with the penalties, he was incredible.
“We trust him, that’s why he is second keeper today. We didn’t look to buy anybody in the winter market.”
In the end, No.1 keeper Ederson was picked and City won on penalties after a 0-0 draw. That was part one of a domestic treble.
FOREST FRUSTRATION
That summer, Muric joined Championship side Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan.
“I’m here to fight for the number one spot in the team and to make sure I have some game time,” he insisted, after linking up with Sabri Lamouchi’s men on July 9.
He started the opening four league games of the campaign, but produced some ‘error-strewn’ performances, according to the Nottingham Post.
Brice Samba was subsequently signed from French club Caen and took the No.1 spot.
Muric started just once more game, a 5-0 EFL Cup defeat at Arsenal, and was recalled in January.
Still, there were some kind words from Lamouchi, who said: “He’s very positive in training sessions and is a nice guy. He’s a professional."
TRAVELLING EUROPE
Muric spent the next two season travelling Europe for loan experience.
In September 2020, when football restarted after the Covid curtailment, he joined Spanish second division side Girona. Just two league starts made that another frustrating spell.
In February 2021, he joined Dutch top-flight side Willem II. There he managed 14 starts before the end of the campaign.
Then, in August 2021, he went to Turkish top-flight side Adana Demirspor and really kicked on. A regular starter, he saved an impressive 76% of shots faced. With Mario Balotelli scoring regularly at the other end, the team finished ninth.
“There were many ups and downs, but I see all experiences as positive,” he said, reflecting on that period. “They have helped me mentally and for that reason I have never regretted leaving Grasshopper at a young age.”
TITLE WINNER
Burnley, freshly relegated from the Premier League, signed Muric from Manchester City for a fee reported to be around £3m plus add-ons.
"I'm 23 now, so I feel it is the right time to move on and I'm looking forward to the new season," he said.
Clarets boss Vincent Kompany said: "He's a player who has made great progress over the last few years and we're hoping he can continue that here.”
That he did. Muric went on to keep 18 clean sheets in 41 league games as Burnley, playing a swashbuckling brand of football, won the title with 101 points.
You won’t remember him from the two FA Cup third round games against Ipswich that season though as he was rested for Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
He was one of five Burnley players to be named in that season's Championship Team of the Year.
MAKING A POINT
Burnley went out and signed another young Manchester City goalkeeper following promotion to the Premier League. This time £15m was shelled out for James Trafford after the England U21 international had impressed on loan at Bolton in League One.
Muric, having played a key role in promotion, suddenly had to be content with the odd EFL Cup and FA Cup outing. Trafford, meanwhile, was part of a team that was leaking top-flight goals at an alarming rate.
After a 2-2 draw at West Ham in mid-March, Kompany decided it was time for a change between the sticks. That went down well with supporters. Muric started the final 10 games of the season and that proved to be a real rollercoaster ride.
Yes, there were a couple of costly errors (which I’ll come on to), but he did keep out an incredible 80% of the shots he faced – the best save percentage in the entire Premier League - and conceded six fewer goals than were predicted by the xG model.
PENALTY RECORD
Muric must be an imposing figure when staring him down for a spot-kick.
According to transfermarkt.com, the big man has faced 26 normal time penalties in his career and saved almost a third of them (eight).
He denied Harry Kane when Kosovo faced England in a Euro qualifier, at Southampton, in September 2019. He also dived the right way to deny Newcastle’s Alexander Isak in May this year.
On top of that, he was the shootout hero, as alluded to earlier, when Man City knocked Leicester of the EFL Cup in 2018. Muric kept out efforts from James Maddison and Caglar Soyuncu that night.
STYLE OF PLAY
We’ve discussed Muric’s shot-stopping, but, as Roy Keane would say, ‘that’s your job’. What about the other stuff?
‘Good feet for a big man’, is normally a football phrase you only hear associated with strikers. It sounds like it applies to 6ft 6in tall Muric too though.
According to an article in The Athletic, Pep Guardiola once told friends that the Kosovan was ‘so good with his feet he could play at centre-back'.
As good as Vaclav Hladky? Let’s see. On his highlights reel there’s evidence of an ice-cool dummy to beat on-rushing Middlesbrough striker Chuba Akpom, a crowd-pleasing nutmeg on Cardiff’s Issak Davies and a gorgeous pinged pass over the top that landed straight at the feet of Nathan Tella.
As you can imagine, given his size, he’s confident when it comes to claiming high balls in the box. He'll also happily use that height by going up the other end an attacking a corner with his head if a late goal is being chased.
There are also numerous examples of dashes off the line before bravely flinging himself, arms and legs splayed, at the feet of forwards. This looks like a guy who is prepared to get bashed up for his team if he needs to.
BOUNCING BACK
There have, as previously mentioned, been high-profile mistakes along the way.
In February last year, Muric raced off his line, made a hash of a clearance and then got in a real muddle as Watford scored. He was taken off at half-time of that game feeling unwell.
In April this year, he was far too laid back when sending a clearance straight into on-rushing Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, the ball rebounding into the net. It proved the only goal of the game.
The following match, he somehow let a simple back pass from Sander Berge slip under his studs for a comical own goal. The Clarets had been leading 1-0 against Brighton with little more than 10 minutes to go.
Such moments can be an occupational hazard for a keeper though. It’s how they react that speaks volumes.
After that Watford game, Muric was rock solid as direct and physical Luton bombarded the Burnley box. The game was won 1-0. That showed character.
There was redemption following those Everton/Brighton games too as he subsequently made a string of stops in a 4-1 win at relegation rivals Sheffield United. Many others would have crumbled after such a difficult few days.
Earlier this month, MailOnline reported that 'several' clubs in the Premier League and abroad were vying for his signature.
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