After spending his entire career in Germany, Bernd Leno decided to leave his country for Arsenal and the Gunners signed the goalkeeper from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
The 26-year-old has give an interview to Kicker, in which he mentions how his view on football has changed.
He also explains why having investors owning a club is a good idea, the same thought which is not respected in his homeland.
“Yes, here I think: How stupid are we actually, that in Germany we are talking all the time only about Bayer Leverkusen, RB Leipzig, commerce [50+1 ownership rule for clubs in Germany] or Hopp in Hoffenheim,” Leno explained.
“In England there can be one or more investors in each club. That’s absolutely right, and not everything is good, but it’s about respect, and it’s partly gone, completely lost.”
The goalkeeper uses the late owner of Leicester City, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, as an example to suggest how Hoffenheim’s chief financial backer and German billionaire Dietmar Hopp should be backed by their own fans.
“Everyone, for example, loved him [Srivaddhanaprabha] and then respected him,” the Emirates outfit’s goalkeeper said.
“In Germany some total idiots, who are not fans for me, have to insult the worst thing in every match against Dietmar Hopp, a man who is extremely involved in social projects and society promotes, that’s just too bad.”
Maybe Leno is still going through a honeymoon period in English football since his move to Arsenal.
Give him a few more years and he may feel different about club ownership in the country and how fans react to it.
