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Arsenal legend Jens Lehmann had been in the middle of a legal tussle, and it ended with a hefty fine imposed by a German court on him. In July 2022, Lehmann took a chainsaw to a neighbor's garage, claiming it obstructed his scenic view of Lake Starnberg from his residence in Bavaria.
Lehmann's actions did not go unpunished, and the court found him guilty on multiple counts, including property damage, insulting behavior, and attempted fraud. The outcome was a staggering fine of €420,000.
Judge Tanja Walter, who presided upon the bench hearing the case, pointedly criticized Lehmann's conduct. The former Arsenal goalkeeper had argued that his possession of a chainsaw at the scene was a mere coincidence and that he was the target of "character assassination."
She dismissed his claims of being a victim, labeling him instead as the perpetrator and emphasizing his fabrication of "outrageous stories" in court. The judge further added (via GOAL):
"The only person who has behaved in a way that damages his own reputation is the defendant himself."
Lehmann was an integral part of Arsenal's 'Invincibles' team, which clinched the Premier League title in the 2003-04 season. The former goalkeeper represented the Gunners 200 times and kept 80 clean sheets, across competitions.
However, the former Germany international's post-retirement life has been marred by controversy. According to GOAL, he faced severe backlash and was removed from Hertha Berlin's supervisory board in 2021 due to a racially insensitive message.
Don Hutchinson tells Arsenal to sign Napoli superstar Victor Osimhen
Former Liverpool midfielder Don Hutchinson has put forward a bold proposition to Arsenal. He has called on the Gunners to offload four of their players to amass funds for securing the services of Napoli's ace striker Victor Osimhen.
Hutchinson identified the quartet of Mohamed Elneny, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah, and Emile Smith Rowe as potential candidates for sale. During his commentary on the BBC Radio Five Live Football Daily Podcast, he argued:
“If you are going for strikers and you have some money to spend, just some names roughly, if Arsenal want to get some money in to sign Victor Osimhen, who I think is one of the best out there, you could sell Elneny, Nketiah, Nelson, and Smith Rowe. There’s plenty of players out there you can get some funds in for this top striker."
The pursuit of Osimhen, however, is not without its challenges, as the Gunners reportedly face stiff competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea. Furthermore, Osimhen's current contract with Napoli, which extends until 2026, will increase the costs of any potential transfer negotiations.
