Unai Emery’s first season in charge at the Emirates will not be an easy one. Though he will not be expected to win the league title in his debut in England, he will be expected to break into the top-4, after Arsenal missed out on Champions League football for two years now. His recruitments this summer show that he is not completely convinced with the squad at his disposal and this has seen Arsenal linked with some of the finest stars in Europe.
One such player, they are now close to landing is Bernd Leno.
Standing as the player to make the second most errors leading to goals since 2016, the German international, who started his senior career with Stuttgart, has been the first choice shot-stopper for Bayer Leverkusen for six seasons. He played more than 30 games in each of those seasons and has been fairly consistent for the club.
He broke into the German national side in 2015 but in the last couple of years, he has fallen off the radar and was not considered for the trip to Russia. But he already has 304 appearances for the German giants and is an established star at the highest level.
He has 74 clean sheets in the Bundesliga, including 12 in all competitions last season and is touted as a long-term replacement for the ageing Petr Cech at Arsenal.
The former Chelsea shot-stopper, though has had his nervous moments recently, has been a mainstay in the Arsenal for a couple of years now but he has turned 36 and is no longer a long-term option for the Gunners.
So it does not come as a surprise that Arsenal not wasting any time in getting a replacement and reports suggest that they have identified Leno as the right man. It is understood that they are in advanced negotiations with Leverkusen over a deal for Leno, which could be completed in the upcoming week. So is he a decent buy for Arsenal?
With the knack of making show-stopping saves every once in a while, Leno, like most German keepers, is a pro-active presence under the bar. He is quick to collect crosses, is a decent handler and is also productive with his distribution. He is not a natural leader like Cech was, but he has shown time and again that he is adept at disciplining his backline, which will be an asset for Arsenal.
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He has been on the club’s radar for quite a while now, and this might be the right time for the Gunners to make move. There are better options in the market but at just around £22m, he could turn into an absolute steal for Arsenal.
