Arsenal: The 5 senior players who want summer transfer exit

Bernd Leno

12 months on from winning the battle for the No. 1 spot after being entrusted to do so by Mikel Arteta, Bernd Leno is also keen to move on.

The club are also open to listening to offers for him, as they are with the vast majority of the squad, which immediately points to an error of judgment last summer: why was Martinez sold and not Leno?

Again this tiresome debate comes down to finance. The £20m offer from Aston Villa constituted a £20m profit on a player with but a handful of Premier League appearances to his name. Was (is) he the better goalkeeper? It’s hard to argue otherwise. However, a frightening financial situation meant the Gunners’ hands were almost forced, not least since Leno won’t have had many offers that would have garnered Arsenal any profit on their £22.5m outlay.

A wrong decision in terms of quality, although understandable given the crippling finances.

Leno has since dropped further errors dotted between a string of excellent performances – the like that are easily forgotten after a mistake is made – but if he doesn’t feel happy or willing to stay aboard, then off he goes.

Sell him and get someone committed who will hopefully put the goalkeeping department at ease for the first time in years.