Bernd Leno posted a timely reminder of his quality for Arsenal on Sunday.
The Gunners suffered a 1-0 defeat away to North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly.
But it could – and would – have been a more convincing win for Spurs if not for the Germany goalkeeper.
Leno was late returning to Arsenal this summer after his duty at Euro 2020, but there was no sign of rust from the former Bayer Leverkusen stopper, who cost the club £22 million under Unai Emery in 2018.
One instance epitomised the 29-year-old, who pulled off a stunning save to keep out Son Heung-min – the game’s eventual match winner – during the first half.
Last season, Leno made a string of high-profile errors – both relating to goals conceded and red cards – but on his day, the German is a fantastic asset.
Here’s how some Arsenal fans reacted to that save against Son:
Timely
And we say ‘timely’ because remember, Arsenal are trying to sign Aaron Ramsdale from Sheffield United.
The Daily Mail reported on Friday that the Emirates Stadium side are prepared to spend £30 million on the England international
And let’s face it, if Arsenal drop that amount on a goalkeeper then he won’t be joining to warm the bench. Ramsdale would be coming to North London to take Leno’s gloves.
But Sunday’s display was a reminder that although Leno has his faults, there’s also a lot to admire about him as a keeper.
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