In addition to joking that Fulham should be seeking to win the Premier League, Bernd Leno is adamant that they should be looking to finish the job and qualify for Europe this season.
A run of eight losses in their last 13 matches in the top division put an end to the Germany goalkeeper’s hopes of qualifying for Europe last season.
Even though their outstanding first season back in the top flight came to an end in tenth place, Marco Silva’s team was at least spared the scrap for relegation.
After the Londoners’ 1-0 victory at Everton on Saturday, Leno thinks they should once again set lofty goals.
When asked about Fulham’s goals for the upcoming season, he said, “Same as last season – after 20-25 matches we can change the target and say, “We go for Europe or mid-table or whatever” or for the (league) trophy.” No, I’m kidding.
We “only prepare for [the upcoming game] and not what might occur in May of next year.”
Leno asserts that the fact that Fulham managed to keep Manchester City and Manchester United close both at home and away last season should give supporters hope that they can compete with their more seasoned rivals on an equal level.
I think now everyone is aware of our competitiveness. We are capable of competing against the top clubs, especially at home,’ he continued. You can tell that United and City fought against us by looking at them.
‘At the end, we lost these games, but as you can see, the outcome depended on little things, like a goal versus United in the final seconds.
It will be a struggle because we know how to compete with these teams and they know what to anticipate from us.
The Fulham No. 1 acknowledges that the fact that the transfer window is still open and players like Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joao Palhinha are drawing interest will make the coming weeks challenging.
Al-Hilal, a Saudi club, sought Mitrovic, and manager Silva rejected a £40 million deal from Al-Ahli. Al-Hilal is expected to make a new offer of £47 million. West Ham and Liverpool have both been mentioned in connection with Palhinha.
Before Saturday’s home derby against Brentford, there might also be incomings, and Leno said: “Every season you have the same problem.” I arrived the day before the opening match versus Liverpool the previous season. Because I didn’t train much at Arsenal, I didn’t participate in any preseason games or friendlies.
“I had no rhythm, so I had to adjust as quickly as possible, but that’s what we do and why we’re professionals,” the speaker said. I don’t worry about it because the team is really easy to adapt to and the fans help players adapt and gain confidence.
Leno was tight with Aaron Ramsdale, who later took over as the Gunners’ custodian after Leno departed the Emirates in quest of regular first-team action.
Ramsdale recently disclosed that his wife lost her unborn child in January. When asked if he had contacted Ramsdale, Leno replied, “No, not yet. He’s a genuinely nice man, and I believe I truly admire him as a person. Even when we were both goalkeepers for Arsenal, our friendship was great.
“I’m going to talk to him soon, and I think it’s great that he speaks so openly about his personal life. I wish him the best in the future.”