Arsenal claimed a 1-0 win against Aston Villa this weekend, yet it was Bernd Leno who was winning the plaudits from supporters after the full-time whistle.
The German international started his first Premier League game since August as Aaron Ramsdale missed the trip to Villa Park due to injury, yet Leno was flawless as the keeper kept a clean sheet.
https://twitter.com/Bernd_Leno/status/1505242685468299268
A £19m signing in 2018 as per BBC Sport, Leno was surprisingly replaced this summer following the arrival of Ramsdale, with the shot-stopper regarded by many Arsenal fans as one of the top keepers in the league since joining from Bayer Leverkusen.
However, Arsenal’s gamble on Ramsdale has pulled off in a major way, and the England youngster is firmly the club’s number one despite the quality of Leno as seen in the Gunners win away to Villa this weekend.
And supporters will love not only Leno’s performance but also his Twitter message post-match, with the keeper delighted to be back on the pitch after warming the bench for the majority of the season.
The 12-word message summed up the afternoon perfectly for Leno as the Arsenal keeper was showered with praise from supporters at full-time, with fans still standing by the German despite the rise of Ramsdale at the club.
Love for Leno shows how strong Arsenal unity now is under Arteta
Squad unity has never been Arsenal’s strong suit in recent years, but the love and affection for Leno over the past 24 hours has been a strong indicator over how connected the fans are to this team.
Indeed, Mikel Arteta has done an incredible job in building a squad that the fans can love and appreciate, and whilst Leno might not be at Arsenal for long, the support he received shows just how positive the atmosphere is around the north London club this season.
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