Mesut Ozil believes that Jens Lehmann’s personality will be a big help on the training ground.

There are many stories of Jens Lehmann having a go at people during his playing days. The German had a reputation for being bluntly honest at his team mates, often berating the defence in front of him if they weren’t doing their jobs properly. Mad Jens, as he was known, was crazy yet necessary.

He may have mellowed a bit over the years, but Mesut Ozil has hinted that traces of that personality still remain. Instead of it being targeted at team mates, it’s not being targeted to the players Lehmann now oversees.

“I think he’ll take us further through his experience, through his personality,” Ozil told Arsenal Player.

“I think for the players, and especially for the goalkeepers, his experience and his personality [helps].

“He was a player who would speak on the pitch when certain things weren’t going as he wanted.

“That’s why it’s good to have somebody like that around the team who gives their opinion.”

A long-held suspicion amongst Arsenal fans is that the players are coddled a bit too much. The number of highly vocal players with extremely high standards has dwindled over the years. The players now are more likely to ignore each other than have a go at each other for making mistakes.

If Lehmann can light a fire under certain players, him joining the coaching staff will be more than justified.