Bernd Leno has claimed he was forced to leave Arsenal due to “politics” and not performances.
The German goalkeeper left the Gunners in the summer for newly-promoted Premier League side Fulham, who paid an initial fee of just £3million to bring him in.
Leno had just one year left on his Arsenal contract and the club were ready to cash in on him after he had slipped behind Aaron Ramsdale as the team’s No1 between the posts.
The club had also brought in USA goalkeeper Matt Turner for around £7m to replace Leno as Ramsdale’s back-up.
Leno has now spoken out about his Arsenal exit and claimed it was purely down to politics and not how he performed on the pitch.
“When I realised that it wasn’t about performance or quality, I knew I had to go,” Leno is quoted as saying by Sport Bild in Germany.
“During the preparation I saw that it’s not about performance, it’s just about politics. It was clear to me: I have to get out of here.”
