The past year has been a struggle for Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who has been usurped as number one and, more often than not, has sat on the bench for most of the season. That is mainly due to the form of summer signing Aaron Ramsdale, who has exceeded most people’s expectations since joining from Sheffield United.
The 23-year-old joined the Gunners for around£25million, making an impact on arrival with stops such as the one against Leicester, where he stretched every sinew to deny James Maddison from a free-kick in a 2-0 victory. It’s that sort of form that has seen him called up to the England squad for Gareth Southgate, with the view of the World Cup just on the horizon.
However, for Leno it’s been rather different. The German has made just four Premier League appearances this season and with his contract expiring in 2023 and the arrival of Matt Turner from the MLS in the summer, an exit looks likely.
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Discussing the role of Leno last month, manager Mikel Arteta told the Arsenal media : “Obviously it’s been a tough few months for him because he’s always played in his career, but he has stayed there, Aaron [Ramsdale] has been here to support him and it’s great to see those things.
“His reaction has been very good, accepting the role, it’s very difficult not accepting it, but relaxing about it, just trying to push and improve in every area and this is what we want from our players.”
In light of his struggles and a potential exit, Newcastle have been linked with a move for the 30-year-old at the end of the season to consolidate their goalkeeping ranks. However, the Daily Star reports that he is set to snub that offer in favour of a more familiar setting.
They claim that Leno favours a return to Germany, with former club Bayer Leverkusen said to be interested. If an offer does come in for him, Arteta is said to be willing to accept sensible offers between £5-10million.
It could determine whether a move will go through or not, with Turner set to come in as an understudy for the time being. If not, then with a contract expiring in just over one-year, he could stay and see it out until the end.
