Photo by Ronnie Macdonald

It’s been five trophy-less seasons for Arsenal. And after being knocked out of the F.A. Cup at the hands of their fierce rivals Manchester United, many feel that the drought will not end this year making six years without a trophy for the Gunners unnaceptable. Not long ago however, two weeks to be precise, it looked as if a trophy was finally going to grace the Emirates trophy cabinet. Arsenal were going strong fighting on four fronts. They had an ‘easy’ Carling Cup final against struggling Birmingham and were slowly creeping up on Manchester United in the title race. Throw in Barcelona in the Champions League and Leyton Orient in the F.A Cup and people were talking about a possible quadruple!

Fast forward two weeks however and after winning just one of five games Arsenal now only have one chance of silverware, the Premier League. Although Arsenal are only 3 points behind United with a game in hand, their bottle and mentality is questionable after being crushed in such a short space of time. So could the arrival of fan favourite Jens Lehmann, a player who won the Premiership and F.A Cup with Arsenal during his spell in North London, revive Arsenals season and end the long wait for silverware?

Even though the arrival of Lehmann hasn’t been confirmed, there are strong suggestions that he will be making a return. The Daily Mail is reporting the deal is as good as done. Arsenal are down to one senior goalkeeper, Lehmann’s former nemesis Manuel Almunia, after losing their other three, Szczesny and Fabianski to season ending injuries, while Mannone is on loan at Hull City. Lehmann is a free agent so Wenger is able to sign him outside of the transfer window. The German stopper was due to spend six weeks at his old club working on his coaching badges anyway so the move couldn’t be more convenient.

Although it is unlikely he would immediately dislodge Almunia as Arsenal’s current no.1, his presence around the club could be vital in helping to secure silverware. He has won the Premier League, something only ONE current member of the Arsenal squad has also done; Gael Clichy. His winning mentality and knowledge of how to win the title could rub off onto the rest of the squad and be key to Arsenal’s success. Complacency or lack of effort would not be allowed if he was on the pitch, or even the bench for the matter. He isn’t scared to shout at his team-mates if they make a mistake. He is the type of player Arsenal need right now: a leader, someone that will take the players by the scruff of the neck and tell them to fight for every point until the end of the season so that their dreams of winning the Premier League can become a reality.

Only time will tell whether Jens Lehmann rejoins Arsenal and in two months we will know if they have ended their trophy drought. Ten games are left to play. If Arsenal win all ten they are champions. Winning ten games on the bounce may seem hard, but when you consider they only have ten games left to play compared to their rivals Manchester United and Chelsea who are still in other competitions, you can see there is hope for Arsenal. We all know they are capable of beating anyone but as the season draws closer to the climax and the pressure mounts, will they be able to cope? Surely the arrival of Jens Lehmann would be beneficial in helping this team win a trophy they deserve.