Many people expected Bernd Leno to start this season as the number one keeper for the club. Arsenal are not known for spending £22.5 on back-up players, but the German has yet to make an official appearance with Petr Cech preferred in goal.
That will change tomorrow though as the Gunners kick off their Europa League campaign against Ukrainian side FC Vorskla.
The German will get the nod to make his debut, something Unai Emery confirmed at his pre-game press briefing on Wednesday.
“Bernd Leno is going to play tomorrow,” he said.
“In our planning with our goalkeeper we have spoken with Javi Garcia, the goalkeeping coach.
“We need with Leno to give him a chance and the minutes of the game.”
It has likely been a frustrating time for the 26 year old with over 300 senior appearances to his name, but the Arsenal boss suggests that competition for places is fluid, based on performances, and not like the situation we had last season with David Ospina who was the ‘cup keeper’.
“I spoke with him on the day of my first match about my decision, I give him my argument for the decision.
“Tomorrow we are going to play Leno, but in each match we are going to look at each performance and each preparation for continuing playing, but not for giving Leno, Petr or Emi one competition to play in.
“He’s here because he’s shown us his quality. The quality for the goalkeeper for me is complex, but he has it.
“Tomorrow he is going to start and he can go a long way here at Arsenal.”
Can he mark his debut with a clean sheet? Let’s hope so.
For more on Leno, check out Tim Stillman’s column this week on Arseblog.
Excellent news and wishing Leno a great début!
A good one Emery
Excellent keeper with huge potential. Although I love Cech, I want Leno to step up and dethrone our number 1 and become the best in the world.
That’s not to much to ask for, is it?
Hope he scores!
Awesome. All I really know about him is that he’s a beast on fifa. Saved my ass countless times.
Go a long way? To Ukraine for the return fixture? Ahh.. I’ll get my coat.
Leno hat trick incoming ⚽⚽⚽
Love the Tim Stillman pieces. Usually well thought and well written. Today’s though, ugh. The “training ground bust up” with Ozil that never happened? This ridiculous obsession with Leno and, allegedly, Cech is a disaster waiting to happen. Total rubbish. Comparing Cech (36) to Brad Friedl (41) is absurd. (Friedel, while a decent keeper was NOWHERE near Cech so that Lloris comparison is idiotic.) And what, after spending a small fortune for a new keeper, the club is really gonna not renew Cech and, instead, two summers in a row buy new keepers? No chance. And if that happens, then… Read more »
I was also confused with Tim talking about the training ground bust up with Ozil. Does he know something we don’t?
Talk about missing the point. But I’ll bite. 1. It may be your choice to believe the denials that there was no bust up, that’s your choice. Tim clearly has contacts at the ground so if he’s certain it happened, then it did. Consider over the years all the incidents that clearly happened at the club and was denied only later down the years revealed it did happen. Do you also believe when Wenger said “he did not see it”? 2. The Brad Friedel point is completely valid. I’m not sure if you’re intentionally being obtuse, but you do know… Read more »