Arsenal legends Robert Pires and Gilberto Silva have backed Jens Lehmann to make an impact at the Emirates as a coach.
Nearly every Arsenal fan is elated to see Jens Lehmann back at the club. The German goalkeeper was a big personality during his time at Arsenal and entertained many fans with his on-pitch antics. It helped he was pretty good between the sticks too.
Now back as a first-team coach at Arsenal, everyone hopes his no-nonsense attitude can leave a lasting positive effect on the players. Few people know Lehmann better than his former team-mates, and Robert Pires and Gilberto Silva have backed him to be a success.
“I’m very pleased for Jens, he’s a good guy and a good professional,” Pires told Sky Sports via the Standard. “He can help the goalkeepers. But not only them, the rest of the squad as well. You need to have a competitive side and Jens has always had that.
“He’s a great professional. He’s a German too, so he has his own rules. Sometimes he is very strict, but you need to have discipline in the dressing room and Jens is the man to bring that.”
Gilberto added: “I am sure it will be very important for the club to have him around because he is the kind of person who pushes the other guys when he sees something that is not right. The way he does things is in a very positive way.
“Maybe sometimes people saw him do things in the past and had a different interpretation of things. But the way he was with us, sometimes we laughed. In the end, we knew he was doing it for the benefit of the team. Sometimes you must have someone like this.”
Lehmann’s return to Arsenal came during a time where fans were demanding that Wenger’s backroom staff received a shake-up. He’s one of several new additions to the team and will be a fresh presence at the Arsenal training ground.
The ex-keeper is more than just a personality as well, having spent time as a pundit for Sky in Germany which showed he is also knowledgeable and articulate. Hopefully he can help push the players to greater levels of performance next season.