Monday May 05 2008 10:29
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger paid tribute to veteran goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who said goodbye to the
Gunners faithful in the 1-0 victory over
Everton.
The 38-year-old Germany international will leave north London in the summer after five seasons with the club and was handed a late appearance as a substitute against the Toffees by boss Wenger.
The Frenchman said after the game: "It was a farewell and I wanted him to have a chance to say goodbye to the fans, that we respect him for what he has done for us.
"Jens was 100 per cent professional, if not always an easy character.
"In all his time here, I have not known Jens to not be fully committed for a single minute. That deserves a lot of respect.
"He was the best keeper in the Premier League. He reads the game well, he is brave and had all the assets to come into the Premier League, because he is not frightened of anybody.
"Jens has become better and better, because at the start he was a bit upset easily sometimes, when people walked on his toes at corners. But he got more controlled through his career.
"Jens was 38 this year, and at some stage in a club like ours you have to make a decision to change."
Lehmann has made 199 appearances for the Gunners since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2003.
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