Leno saga shows Mikel Arteta has learnt from past Arsenal transfer mistakes

Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has been on the cusp of a transfer to Fulham for over a month but as things stand the Germany international remains at the Emirates.

Leno was once the Gunners first-choice shot-stopper, but lost his place to Aaron Ramsdale following the arrival of the England international last summer. As a result, the 30-year-old is keen on leaving the club to increase his chances of representing Die Mannschaft at the Qatar World Cup later this year.

The newly-promoted Cottagers are very interested in securing his signature, while Leno loves the idea of remaining in London - the move certainly suits both parties. However, the delay stems from Fulham balking at Arsenal's £11million asking price.

In truth, that figure is entirely reasonable considering Leno's ability and Premier League experience. Since his arrival in north London in the summer of 2018, the goalkeeper has made more than a century of league appearances for the Gunners.

Personal terms are close to being agreed and Leno is relishing the prospect of playing regular Premier League football. The snag stems from Arsenal's refusal to budge - Mikel Arteta and the Gunners hierarchy are standing firm in their valuation, something the club hasn't always done in recent years.

Wojciech Szczesny was a very talented academy-graduate goalkeeper for Arsenal that was permitted to leave for Juventus well before his prime for the feeble fee of £13m.

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Serge Gnabry is now one of the hottest properties in world football attracting interest from Arsenal's Premier League rivals Chelsea - yet the Gunners recouped just £5m for him when he joined Werder Bremen.

Both of those players had just one year left to run on their respective contracts, but had Arsenal planned ahead they'd have been able to generate more funds for a very talented duo.

The likes of Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla were all allowed to leave for nothing due to contractual negligence from the Arsenal hierarchy.

With that being said, Leno also has just one year left and the Gunners are not budging from their asking price regardless of the fact that the clock is ticking for them to cash in.

Prior to Ramsdale's arrival, Leno was widely viewed as a good, reliable goalkeeper by the Arsenal faithful and he was hardly one of the most pressing issues at the club.

However, his questionable ability with a ball at his feet scuppered his chances of being a more long-term option at the Emirates in the eyes of Arteta.