In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie revealed that Arsenal custodian Bernd Leno is on the radar of Newcastle United. Downie said,
“I could foreseeably see them, if they stay up, looking to bring in a new goalkeeper in the summer and changing things up in the goalkeeping department.
“I think Bernd Leno is someone they would be interested in given his experience in the Premier League already.”
Leno’s Limited Role At North London This Season
Leno has found playing opportunities hard to come by at the Emirates Stadium during this campaign but deserves credit for putting in a couple of impressive displays in between the sticks for the Gunners. The German goalie has conceded 11 goals and earned two clean sheets in seven matches for the North London club this season across all competitions.
The 29-year-old has done well to average 1.3 clearances and five long balls per 90 minutes in the Premier League. However, he has been sloppy when distributing possession from the back after making 64.1% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
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Should Arsenal Let Leno Go This Summer?
Leno has got decent reflexes and can make some solid saves at the back. He is a good handler of the ball and usually clears the danger when needed. However, the German custodian needs to secure regular playing time if he wants to get his career back on track.
At the moment, he has lost his first-team privileges to Aaron Ramsdale at Arsenal, so it seems logical for the player to seek a move elsewhere in search of more first-team chances in the coming seasons.
Currently, Leno is surplus to requirements at the North London club. Therefore, it is only fair to the player if Mikel Arteta lets him go at the end of this campaign. At 29, Leno still has plenty of time to turn his fortunes around for the better over the next few years. However, things have not fallen in place for him at the Emirates recently which is why he should opt for a change of scenery in the summer.
