Mikel Arteta was rewarded for making one of his biggest calls as Arsenal squeaked past Fulham on Saturday evening.
The Gunners' 100% start to the season was under threat when Aleksandar Mitrovic capitalised on a Gabriel Magalhaes error to give Fulham a surprise lead. They turned it around, though, with Martin Odegaard equalising with a deflected effort before Gabriel himself put away a late winner.
It was also a game in which one of Arteta's more decisive transfer decisions came into full focus, with former Gunners goalkeeper Bernd Leno facing his former club. The German had a chance to show Arteta what he was missing, with Aaron Ramsdale in the opposite goal after replacing him as first choice, and it was Arsenal's current keeper who won the battle.
“One of the things that I was most impressed every time I watched a game he played in was his temperament," Arteta said of Ramsdale in 2021, shortly after signing the keeper from Sheffield United. Leno began the season as first choice, but lost his place early in the campaign and was unable to claim it back.
“I wanted to watch a lot of clips and moments after he was conceding a goal, making a mistake or sort of difficult moments," the manager added. "And that's when one of the big reasons why we made the decision to sign him to play with us."
Later in the season, with Leno watching from the sidelines, Arteta praised the German. Indeed, while others looked for moves after losing their spot, the ex-Leverkusen man stayed and fought.
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"He's done a very similar thing to Cedric [Soares] and Nico [Pepe]," Arteta said in April. Not accepting the situation but trying to improve it. He’s also been consistent in the way he trained and the way he behaved in those months, waiting for the opportunity and, when he had it, taking it."
It will have been hard for Arteta not to have felt vindicated on Saturday. Not only did Ramsdale keep the hosts in the game, but Leno had a part to play in what proved to be the winning goal.
After having little chance with Mitrovic's opener, Ramsdale flung himself to his left to keep out a header from the Serbian which could have restored the visitors' lead late on. And then, with Arsenal leading in stoppage time, he needed to be alert to stop Nathaniel Chalobah scoring with his first touch.
Leno himself made a number of saves, including a strong hand to deny Gabriel Martinelli with just minutes remaining. However, it was his failure to claim the resulting corner which allowed the hosts to capitalise.
Since taking over as Arsenal manager in December 2019, Arteta has overseen a great deal of upheaval. Not all of the departures have been accepted by everyone, but the health of the team has been enough to make plenty forget about the loss of the likes of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and others.
Arsenal sit top of the Premier League table after four wins from four games. While a title bid might be wishful thinking at this early stage, a top four finish is certainly realistic after last season's close-run thing.
It's not that often that a transfer decision is placed into as sharp a focus as we saw on Saturday, with Arsenal's new keeper saving his team while his predecessor floundered. Ramsdale's arrival might have brought questions at the time, but Arteta will surely be feeling vindicated over his decision.
