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Bernd Leno
The German international joined Arsenal from Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of £19 million, as they look to bolster their vulnerable back-line. Although Petr Cech’s longevity and legendary status remain undisputed, he is simply not good enough to carry on in goal for a club of Arsenal’s stature.
At 26, Leno still has the potential to elevate his game at Arsenal but also has the experience needed to follow the great names of David Seaman, Jens Lehmann and Petr Cech, with 233 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen. Leno broke into the German national team in 2015; no mean feat given the competition he had to fend off. This all makes the fee of £19 million quite remarkable, especially given the figures being touted for the likes of Alisson and Jan Oblak, who are of similar age and experience.
The former Leverkusen stopper was also part of the German side that won the 2017 Confederations Cup which will add even more winning experience to the Arsenal side; a team that has won three FA Cups in the last five seasons. His record of 12 clean sheets in 39 appearances is a sight Arsenal fans could get used to, given the defensive calamities they have seen in recent seasons.
However, the fee of £19 million almost seems too good to be true, especially given the rates being charged right across Europe. The German club have even found Leno’s replacement in Eintracht Frankfurt’s Lukas Hradecky and look seemingly unaffected by the sale of their former number one. All this means that Arsenal have either fallen into a trap or pulled off the best deal of the transfer window.
