Bernd Leno insists he hopes to stay at Arsenal & return to the Champions League
By Tom Gott
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has dismissed suggestions he wants to leave the club, admitting he hopes to bring Champions League football back to the Emirates before walking away.
Leno was recently named as part of a group of players thought to be keen to leave the club this summer, with Ajax's Andre Onana identified as a potential replacement.
The German goalkeeper didn't exactly help himself recently when he confessed that he is open to the idea of leaving Arsenal for a 'new adventure', but in an interview with Sport1, he moved to clarify those comments.
"I don't want to leave here, I feel good and want to be successful again with Arsenal," he said. "Arsenal are a big club, which is extremely underestimated in Germany, there are many Arsenal fans all over the world. I still have a two-year contract and hope to play in the Champions League again with Arsenal.
"It is also clear that at some point in my career I want to do something different. So far I've played for two clubs.
"Maybe I'll get the urge to play in another league again. But there is time, I'm still getting to the top goalkeeping age. But my focus is on Arsenal."
When asked if a return to the Bundesliga is on the cards this summer, Leno responded: "Not yet, because I really like it in the Premier League and at Arsenal. Personally, I also think it's great in London. My wife feels good, everything fits. But at some point, why not return to Germany?"
Leno went on to discuss Arsenal's struggles in recent seasons, insisting the glory days with Arsene Wenger and Thierry Henry are gone and the Gunners must forget about the past and focus on building a new squad of champions.
"Unfortunately that's the reality at the moment," he said. "We're chasing the past in which stars like Thierry Henry played. That was a different level.
"We're a long way from the Champions League at the moment. We will most likely not be in the Europa League next season either, so the club are trying to build something new. We can fully concentrate on the league next season and dare to make this new beginning.
"The Premier League is tough. The smaller clubs really hurt you, which is why we can't allow ourselves periods of weakness like last autumn. But we won against Chelsea, we beat Tottenham and Manchester United. The quality is there, but we couldn't always call on it."