Bernd Leno has admitted he spoke to people at Arsenal about joining Fulham prior to his move.
The Cottagers shotstopper made the move across London during last summer's transfer window following four years at the Gunners and has been a revelation in goal, helping the club maintain their European push as they sit seventh in the league.
With the club also in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, where they will meet Carabao Cup winners Manchester United at Old Trafford, Leno said it was 'clear' that he wanted to stay in England and London in particular, before adding expectations at the club have changed since he first joined.
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“It was clear for me, I wanted to stay in the Premier League," Leno told the Evening Standard. "It’s the best league in the world by far — and London life, I really love it here.
"I spoke to people at Arsenal about wanting to join Fulham. Everyone said it’s a nice family club. And I played many times against Fulham and it is an old-school stadium. All these aspects played a role.
"At the beginning, the main goal was to stay in the Premier League. We are in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, we’re seventh in the League — no one saw that coming.”
Leno has played in 24 of Fulham's 26 Premier League games, keeping seven clean sheets in the process and his performances across February have seen him nominated for the player of the month award alongside team-mate Manor Solomon.
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