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 to Metro: "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 you saw they were decided by details – in the last minute against United.

‘We know how we can compete against these teams and they also know what they can expect from us so it will be a challenge.’

The Fulham No.1 admits the fact the transfer window remains open, with the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joao Palhinha attracting attention, ensures the next few weeks will not be easy.

While manager Silva turned down a £40 million offer from Al-Ahli, the Saudi club Al-Hilal wanted striker Mitrovic. Al-Hilal is expected to make a new offer of £47 million. West Ham and Liverpool have both been connected to Palhinha.

Leno said: "Every season you have the same problem." There might possibly be incomings before this Saturday's home derby against Brentford. The previous season, I arrived the day before the opening match against Liverpool. I didn't participate in any friendly or preseason games because I didn't train much at Arsenal.

"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."