‘I knew straight away’: 31-year-old claims Arsenal staff member was the reason for his transfer

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Former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has now claimed that an Arsenal staff member played a huge part in his departure from the club a year ago.

The German International was Arsenal’s first choice in goal prior to the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale in 2021, and the 31-year-old joined Fulham last summer in search of first-team football.

Leno was seemingly keen on staying at the club and fighting for his place and competing with Ramsdale for the number one spot, but he has now claimed that a goalkeeping coach told him to leave the club.

Speaking to The Times, Leno hinted that goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana Pavon was behind his departure, and hit out at the club for the way he was treated, amidst intense focus on the future of Ramsdale following now that he has been dropped from the first team as well.

“When I wanted to fight for my place, the goalkeeper coach said, ‘You have to leave the club,'” he stated.

“When he said it wasn’t about performance, I knew straight away I had to leave. I don’t know if they didn’t want two strong ’keepers. I had one year left on my contract. So it was the last time to make money off me.”

The right decision?

Leno joined Fulham for around £3m last summer and has been sensational for the West Londoners, helping Marco Silva’s side easily avoid relegation with some outstanding performances.

Nevertheless, despite his strong form, the 31-year-old is unsuited to Arsenal’s style of play. Although incredible at shot-stopping, his inferior ability with the ball at his feet made him an undesirable option compared to Ramsdale and now David Raya.

Raya and Ramsdale are both younger options and could form Arsenal’s goalkeeping roster for years to come. Although Arsenal arguably sold Leno for a fee lower than his actual value, a departure with one year left on his deal was the right decision at the time.