Lehmann, who left Arsenal in
the summer of 2008 after a five-year spell with the English Premier League
club, signed a rolling monthly contract until the end of the season.
“We have no cover in the
Premier League, so that is why I decided to bring Jens back,” Arsenal manager
Arsene Wenger said.
“Jens knows the club very
well, is vastly experienced and will also be an extremely positive influence in
the dressing room during his time with us.” Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski
and Vito Mannone are all out injured, leaving Wenger with just one fit
goalkeeper - Manuel Almunia.
Lehmann, who played 61 times
for Germany, is available for selection for Arsenal's Premier League match at
West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
He retired last year when his
contract expired at Stuttgart after two seasons with the Bundesliga team.
“I'm very excited to be
rejoining Arsenal,” Lehmann said. “I have kept myself fit since the end of last
season and I'm ready to contribute at any time for the team.
“I have many great memories
from my previous time at the club and Arsenal has always had a place in my
heart. It's special to be coming back.” After lengthy stints at German sides
Schalke and Borussia Dortmund, Lehmann joined Arsenal in 2003 and was part of
the team that won the English title in 2004 - when the Gunners went through the
season unbeaten.
Lehmann was also sent off in
the first half of their loss to Barcelona in the Champions League final in
Paris in 2006. He played 199 games for Arsenal in his career.
By the end of his time at
Emirates Stadium, Lehmann's rivalry with Almunia had become intense, with the
German claiming that being dropped at the expense of the Spanish goalkeeper was
a “humiliation.” Lehmann's experience should come in handy for Arsenal, which
has been criticized for lacking leaders in the locker room as its season
unravels.
The Gunners lost the League
Cup final to Birmingham on Feb. 27 and have since been eliminated from the
Champions League by Barcelona and the FA Cup by Manchester United.
Arsenal still has the Premier
League to play for. The team is three points behind league leader United, which
has played a game more.
Goalkeeper is not the only
position where Arsenal is struggling for cover.
Wenger said on Thursday that
Belgium defender Thomas Vermaelen, who hasn't featured for the team since
August because of an Achilles' tendon injury, was ruled out for the rest of the
season while fellow center back Johan Djourou was out for six weeks.
Djourou dislocated his
shoulder in the second half of Arsenal's 2-0 defeat at United in the
quarterfinals of the FA Cup on Saturday.
