Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno will be "desperate" to leave the Emirates after becoming the club’s second choice, according to former Gunners striker Alan Smith.
Leno started against Leeds during the fourth round Carabao Cup tie on Tuesday, keeping a clean sheet as Arsenal won 2-0 to progress to the quarter finals of the competition.
However, the German stopper’s last league game was at the end of August, with Mikel Arteta opting to start summer signing Aaron Ramsdale instead.
Leno started the campaign as the Gunners' No.1, but Ramsdale's commanding displays since arriving from Sheffield United have seen him only feature in cup competitions of late.
With no European football at the Emirates it means that the 29-year-old stopper will have even less opportunities to start between the sticks this season - and there has reportedly been interest in him from the likes of Serie A giants Inter.
Smith claims that due to a lack of game time Leno will seek an exit in the January transfer window.
"He’ll be down," Smith told the Metro. "He'll be desperate to leave the club.
"He is an experienced keeper. He won’t want to be a number two for any longer than he needs to be. But he can’t go knocking on the manager’s door because Ramsdale has done so well.
"He is a big personality and he has pulled off some great saves. For Bernd Leno, there will be plenty of clubs after him, if he becomes a man available."
Leno’s contract expires in the summer of 2023, however the club are not expected to let him go in January.
Former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn also claimed earlier this month that he expected the German international to leave, but not necessarily in the new year.
‘My gut feeling is that Bernd Leno will leave Arsenal,’ he told Paddy Power.
‘It may not be in January, but it’s hard for a goalkeeper who’s been first choice to suddenly not be any more, and it’s obvious that he isn’t.’
