Football News: Bernd Leno's bitter parting with Arsenal
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno was permanently transferred to Fulham on August 2, 2022, on a reported £8m deal that includes a three-year contract with an option to extend by a further 12 months
Bernd LenoHowever, Bernd Leno has accused his former bosses at Arsenal of using politics to cause his transfer rather than the move based on his performance.
In 2018, Leno signed a five-year contract with Arsenal for £22.5million. He made his first appearance for the Gunners during their 4–2 win over Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League.
Leno then replaced regular goalkeeper Petr Čech, who picked up an injury in the first half of the season in the Premier League. In the 2019-20 season, he became the runner-up of the Arsenal Player of the Season award boasting 16 per cent of the final vote.
On February 25, 2021, he competed in his 100th match for Arsenal across all competitions by securing a 3–2 victory over Benfica in the Europa League round of 32.
Leno was sidelined as a backup in the 2021–22 season after the signing of Aaron Ramsdale, who then became the starting goalkeeper. After his departure, Leno resorted to telling his story through the SportsBuzzer and other German media.
Did Bernd Leno try to expose the dark side of Arsenal?
Bernd Leno has criticised his former club Arsenal because of their actions. In an exchange with 'Sport Bild ', he clarified that his departure was not prompted by his performance or the quality of it.
The goalkeeper had a four-year-long tenure in north London but made only eight appearances last season after the arrival of his successor Aaron Ramsdale.
He firmly believes that the lack of game time has nothing to do with his quality, so the seeming politics coaxed the 30-year-old to leave. Even his American counterpart Matt Turner was primarily kept for marketing reasons which irked Leno.
Leno said, "During the preparation, I saw that it's not about performance, it's just about politics. It was clear to me: I have to get out of here." Leno has now become a regular at Fulham FC.
He hopes to reserve a spot in the DFB squad (Germany National football team) and is keen on finding his pace again. The German revealed that he could not train appropriately at Arsenal and had zero preparation under his circumstances.
He is now attempting to reorient his focus on the national team. After his move to Fulham, Leno has not yet kept a clean sheet for the Premier League side but has clinched 19 saves in four matches.