Leno told the Times: “At the start of the 2021 season, we lost the first three games and after the international break all of a sudden it was, ‘We need to change players and have positive energy’.
“There were a couple of excuses I didn’t understand and I have to say, unfortunately, it’s more or less the same with Ramsdale. It has happened [again] after the international break. I was thinking: ‘That’s more or less the same as with me.’
“I was thinking about Aaron, he’s a very good guy. I know how he feels, there are some similarities. When I wanted to fight for my place, the goalkeeper coach said, ‘You have to leave the club.’ When he said it wasn’t about performance, I knew straight away I had to leave.
“I don’t know if they didn’t want two strong ‘keepers. I had one year left on my contract. So it was the last time to make money off me.” However, Arteta has claimed he plans to rotate both Ramsdale and Ray during the season and suggested he would even consider substituting goalkeepers during a game.
Asked about Arteta’s comments, Leno said he would be taken aback if he was ever substituted without being injured. “I would feel very strange and very surprised if I would see the No 17 was coming off in minute 75,” he said.
“Everyone in the stadium would be surprised. It doesn’t matter if it’s myself or Alisson [the Liverpool ‘keeper], it doesn’t make sense. And it wouldn’t make sense if I was the goalie who was coming on. The ‘keeper coming on would feel even worse than me, coming on and not warmed up with no contact with the ball and no feeling for the distances.”
