Mikel Arteta has admitted his surprise at Bernd Leno ’s rant about “politics” being the prime reason behind his Arsenal exit.
The German goalkeeper quit the Emirates Stadium earlier this summer in a switch to London rivals Fulham, a move that brought to an end his four years with the Gunners. In that time, the former Bayer Leverkusen star had made 125 appearances for the club in all competitions but lost his place to Aaron Ramsdale during his final campaign.
Since moving to Fulham, Leno has come clean on what he sees as the real reasons behind his Arsenal exit and claimed that it was not down to his quality as a goalkeeper - but instead because of internal “politics” at the Emirates Stadium
Speaking with BILD Sport, he said: “When I realised that it wasn't about performance or quality, I knew I had to go. 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."
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has now replied to those claims and admitted that he was taken aback by Leno’s comments.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Gunners’ Europa League opener against FC Zurich, the Spaniard said: "I’m really surprised and I don't know if he’s talking about the politics when he was starting every match or when he wasn’t playing. Really surprised about it."
How far will Arsenal go in the Europa League this year? Share your predictions in the comments below
Since making the switch across the capital, Leno has made four appearances for Fulham. Despite playing a role in two victories, he has yet to keep a clean sheet for his new club - a run that includes a 2-1 defeat against former club Arsenal.
Aleksandr Mitrovic actually opened the scoring for the Cottagers during that match, but the Gunners eventually claimed victory thanks to goals from Martin Odegaard and Gabriel.
Leno will be attempting to finally secure his first Fulham shutout this weekend as Marco Silva’s side take on another of their London rivals in the form of Chelsea. The Blues are currently in the process of appointing a new manager with Todd Boehly having made the decision to sack Thomas Tuchel in the aftermath of the 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League.
Brighton boss Graham Potter is the favourite to succeed the German at Stamford Bridge with his current club having given Chelsea permission to hold talks. The Blues have indicated that they would be willing to pay Potter’s release clause at the AMEX. More discussions are set to be held on Thursday with the hope that the former Ostersunds and Swansea City schemer could be in charge for the weekend’s game against Fulham.
Speaking about Chelsea’s decision to sack Tuchel, Arteta said: “It’s always sad for any colleague in this profession to get fired. Unfortunately, we know how this works. I wish him the best of luck. It’s not pleasant to hear that news.”
