Arsenal vs Manchester City: What’s the message to Bernd Leno?

Arsenal signed a new keeper this summer, but they won’t be using him from the off. That’s fine. But what is the message being imparted?

Arsenal had a serious keeper problem last year, compounding on all the other problems they had on the defensive side of things. Regularly sure-handed Petr Cech was anything but, struggling to avoid mistakes and having arguably his worst season as a professional.

David Ospina was never a No. 1, so he wasn’t given the chance to unseat Cech. It was a lose-lose situation caused by a lack of resources.

This summer fixed that. At least in theory. Because the Gunners loaded up on Bernd Leno for £19m, essentially putting the slap on Cech and saying that what he did wasn’t good enough. Now there would be two No. 1 keepers fighting it out.

As many of you know, I was firmly in the ‘start Leno’ camp. Once you lose a job, as Cech did, it only makes sense to make him earn it back from a No. 2 role.

But now that we’ve committed to giving Cech the starting role again, and making it his to lose, I’m coming to terms with it. It’s the safe choice, and I’d still have done it the other way, but what’s done is done.

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So now my question is this – what does this decision say to Bernd Leno?

I have to imagine that when he signed, he was given certain assurances and clauses such that this was always going to be a possibility. Wouldn’t want him starting off disgruntled or anything. But he also had to know that the position was open, otherwise why would he make the switch? He, like everyone else, wants to start.

What the club may be saying to him is what they should have said to Cech – you have to earn it.

Although, as Leno is younger and Cech has but a year or so left, it makes more sense to make the German earn it, as he stands to gain more from the long-term effects if he earns it, rather than Cech.

It says that nothing will be handed to you, which, naturally, is always a good philosophy to live by, and one that I hope is imparted on all our players.

This will be a fun battle to watch all year. We have options, that’s for sure, and that is a damn exciting thing to think about.