Jens Lehmann is concerned Mikel Arteta is too much of a ‘nice guy’ (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal legend Jens Lehmann is ‘not sure’ if Mikel Arteta is the right man for the manager’s job following two seasons of disappointment at the Emirates.
The Gunners have narrowly missed out on the Premier League title to Manchester City twice and are struggling for major silverware under the Spaniard.
Apart from two Community Shield triumphs, the only trophy Arteta has clinched since he became Arsenal’s manager five years ago is the FA Cup in 2020-21.
Arsenal hero Thierry Henry is worried his old club will suffer a drop-off in the 2024-25 campaign after two gruelling seasons fighting City for the top-flight title.
Fellow north London icon Lehmann – who won the Premier League and FA Cup during his time at Arsenal – has now cast doubt over Arteta and questions if the Gunners should consider making a managerial change.
‘Mikel Arteta has done really well bringing Arsenal up but if he is the right man for Arsenal now… I am not sure,’ Lehmann told The Telegraph.
‘Because you need to prove it. We could have won [the league] twice. Last year they were leading and in [April] they lost it [with three draws and one defeat].
Mikel Arteta’s side have narrowly missed out on the top-flight title twice (Picture: Getty)
‘The culmination was when [Bukayo] Saka missed the penalty against West Ham at 2-0 up and it was a draw. It was two points.
‘What people who hire coaches sometimes don’t understand is that the personality of the coach is super important as well.
‘Look at the personality of the coach. Is he a winner or is he a nice guy who brings you to a certain level and then it is over?’
Santi Cazorla set for Emirates return?
Arsenal hero Santi Cazorla has confirmed he’s spoken with manager Mikel Arteta over making an emotional return to the north London club.
‘Of course, I was fortunate to share a dressing room with Mikel Arteta and now he is the manager,’ Cazorla said. ‘We had conversations about [joining the coaching staff] that but right now I am not focused on anything other than contributing to [my current] club Real Oviedo.’
Football pundit Jamie Carragher is adamant that Arteta’s Arsenal will be fighting for the Premier League title for the third year in a row when the new season starts.
‘I think they will be up there again,’ Carragher told Metro.co.uk. ‘In some ways, throughout a lot of the season, they were the best team. When you look at the goals they scored, the xG difference and how strong they were defensively.
‘The problem is that Man City have the best players, they have individuals, in terms of Phil Foden, Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne. Arsenal just don’t have that quality at that end of the pitch. That’s why they need a top attacking player.’
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