Bernd Leno has said he had to leave Arsenal this summer due to the internal politics at the club which seemingly stopped the Germany international from having a shot at competing with Aaron Ramsdale.
In an interview with Sport Bild via Goal, the former Bayer Leverkusen superstar revealed that his exit from Arsenal was fueled by opinions held by those at the club rather than the actual quality of the player or his performances on the pitch or in training.
Leno had been Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper for over three seasons before Mikel Arteta made the decision last summer to sign Aaron Ramsdale, with the England international starting just a few days after the closure of the transfer window as the 24-year-old remained between the stickers for the majority of the season.
With no European football, Leno only played for Arsenal five more times in the campaign, one appearance being a 1-0 win against Aston Villa in the Premier League where Ramsdale was out injured, yet even with the German impressing at Villa Park, the keeper was dropped for the next game in which the north London side lost 3-0.
Indeed, these decisions seemingly played a major role in Leno signing for Fulham, with the attacker still reportedly earning £100,000-a-week at the Cottagers, and according to the player himself, Arsenal left him with no choice but to leave this summer.
Leno said when asked about why he had to leave Arsenal this summer: “When I realised that it wasn’t about performance or quality, I knew that I had to go. In preparation, I saw that it is not about performance, but only about politics. It was clear to me, I had to get out of here.”
Leno made right decision to leave Arsenal at the time he did
A good case could be made that Leno was treated unfairly in his final season at Arsenal, and the German international made the right decision to leave north London at the time that he did, with the 2022 FIFA World Cup just around the corner and time running out for the keeper to impress Hansi Flick.
Indeed, Leno’s final year at the Emirates Stadium could have been treated with more care and respect, yet with the keeper now back to playing regular football for Fulham, the shot-stopper is on the path to return to his best after nearly 12 months of sitting on the bench for Ramsdale.
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