Arsenal: It’s only a matter of time before Bernd Leno is first choice

Bernd Leno was signed by Arsenal from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, but is yet to make his competitive debut for the club.

Arsenal are suffering a crisis in their defensive department, but that could all be solved with a change of goalkeeping personnel. What makes me say this is the fact that Petr Cech, despite his immense history, isn’t the most reassuring goalkeeper in the world. It’s not difficult to see why defenders feel nervy whenever the ball is played back.

Don’t get me wrong, Cech was an incredible player in his prime, but he has failed to keep up with the times. Where goalkeepers are now expected to have a midfielder’s passing ability, Cech cannot come up with those goods. We have seen him mess up his passing distribution a number of times in the past few seasons.

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This is where Bernd Leno could come in handy. While the German is prone to making the odd mistake, he is a much better player with the ball at his feet than Cech. Besides, he’s better between the sticks anyway.

I have no idea why he is yet to start a match. Perhaps it’s Unai Emery’s way of integrating him into the team, as the same case applies to Stephan Lichtsteiner and Lucas Torreira. When the time is right, Cech should remain the professional he is and act as a mentor for the shot-stopper. I don’t see why this wouldn’t be the case.

An interesting discussion arose this morning. A point was made, by myself, that if Cech was reaching his prime stages now, he would leave nowhere near the legacy he has done. And that’s not just because he’s playing for Arsenal, it’s because he is just not fit for the modern game.

Some of the best keepers in the world, Manuel Neuer, Ederson, Alisson, etc, are all very good with the ball at their feet. While you can easily get recognition with a different approach, David de Gea for example, Cech’s style has never been one which would wow the crowd today. Still, that’s not to take away from his legacy, I mean the guy has saved a penalty in the Champions League final, it’s just a point which I found interesting.

Anyway, I’ve deviated from my point there. To conclude, I think most Arsenal fans are in favour of starting Leno over Cech, and it won’t be long before that’s the case. Emery looks to be leaning towards a style which relies on passing the ball out from the back, not something Cech wants to be involved in.

Do you think Arsenal should play Leno ahead of Cech?