Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno has claimed he left Arsenal this summer because ‘politics’ were stopping him from playing.
Leno left the Emirates at the beginning of August in a £3.24m deal, joining Fulham in search of regular game time.
He had previously been number one for the Gunners following his move from Bayer Leverkusen in 2018 but found himself increasingly out of the picture following the arrival of Aaron Ramsdale.
The situation was exacerbated by the arrival of Matt Turner this summer, with him not only replacing Leno as number two but being preferred ahead of him during Arsenal’s pre-season.
That prompted the move to Fulham, who were keen to add experience to their squad and believed Leno was the right man to do so.
“When I realised that it wasn’t based on performance or quality, it was clear to me that I had to leave,” Fussball Transfers report him saying.
“In the preparation I saw that it was not about performance, but only about politics. Then it was clear to me: I have to leave here.
“The most important thing for me is to find my rhythm again. Especially after I couldn’t really train with Arsenal and had no preparation. It’s up to me to get back into the focus of the national team.”
