Arsenal: No, Bernd Leno is not coming to be the No. 2 keeper

Arsenal have upgraded their keeper corps, which means that some changes are incoming because no, Bernd Leno is not here to be the No. 2.

Arsenal’s keeper situation was a bit of a mess last year, as they had a No. 1 who was playing like a No. 2 and a No. 2 who played like a No. 2. They were therefore left without a reliable No. 1 keeper.

It was expected that they would go after a keeper this summer, but when Petr Cech switched to the No. 1 shirt, questions were asked. That shirt is normally reserved for the No. 1 keeper. Which means that Leno won’t be able to secure the No. 1 shirt, barring any unlikely move of Petr Cech.

The rumor going around is that Leno is not expected to go straight into the starting XI. That Cech is supposed to start there and Leno is supposed to be his understudy.

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I don’t see how this would be an option at all. For starters, you don’t spend a record fee on a keeper just to stick him behind your starter, who was anticlimactic as all hell last year.

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That starter, Cech, had all last year to prove that he was still at his best, and he failed in that regard. He failed big time. That doesn’t mean he has no value. I absolutely want him to stay. But it means that his position was up for grabs. He could have kept it, if he did his job well.

Bernd Leno is here, or at least he should be here, to replace Cech. I’m all about internal competition and the values that it teaches, but that internal competition should be coming in the form of Cech pushing Leno for time, not vice versa.

Keeper is a tough position to juggle two should-be starters, because it’s not like striker, where you can sub in and move around. The keeper is the keeper and as the Gunners have shown in recent years, they designate certain keepers for certain competitions.

As such, seeing as how Cech disappointed in the Premier League, it should be his job to regain, and Leno’s to take over. Isn’t that the natural order of things? Go ahead, say it with me – “yes, it is.”

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Opening day. Manchester City. At the Emirates. Bernd Leno should be between the sticks. Change things up. Shake up the status quo. Don’t keep doing the same thing and expect a different result.