The summer recruitment at Arsenal is in full-flow. They took no time in appointing Unai Emery as Arsene Wenger’s replacement and have already completed deals for a couple of players. They have signed Stephan Lichtsteiner from Juventus and are close to landing Lucas Torreira and Sokratis Papastathopoulos. But one other player, they have now announced a deal for is Bernd Leno.
The German international has been on Arsenal’s radar for quite a while now but Arsene Wenger decided to stick with Petr Cech and David Ospina time and again. But with Emery now in charge, the Gunners have decided that it is time to spend on a new goalkeeper and have identified Leno as the right man.
Announced with the tag ‘He’s a keeper’, Leno was one of the most consistent shot-stoppers in Germany and has kept more clean sheets than any other player (except Manuel Neuer) in Bundesliga since 2014. He has his own weaknesses but at just 26 years of age, he has time to improve and is a long-term asset for the Gunners.
Arsenal are yet to confirm the transfer fee or the length of the contract but one thing that is for sure is that he will replace Petr Cech in goal next season. The former Chelsea shot-stopper was one of the best in his role in Europe during his prime and joined Arsenal in 2015 as a 33-year old.
In his three years at the club, the Czech star has put in a number of decent performances but showed weaknesses that were not noticeable before. He is now 36 and will soon quit the game and Arsenal did not want to waste any more time in finding a successor. Leno’s first season at the club will tell a lot about his quality under the bar but what will that mean for Cech?
Last season, Cech had far too many games where he was below par. In games against Leicester City, Everton, Swansea City, and Brighton more recently, he showed frailties that do not belong in the English top flight. So it does not come as a surprise that Arsenal have decided to move on. But they now face a dilemma over Cech’s future.
They have Ospina for the cup games and could sell the Colombian this summer, pushing Cech into his part-time role. This will also help Cech act as a mentor for the newbie on the block, Leno. This will push Arsenal into the transfer market in a year or two for a backup for Leno, which will give them a chance to even sign an upgrade on the German international.
If they decide to sell Cech, they have no reason to spend on another shot-stopper for years to come. So a lot depends on how confident Emery is of Cech’s quality. But do you think Arsenal should keep him for another season?
