Jens Lehmann was always going to be a difficult man for Arsenal to replace – and they discovered that the hard way over the years that followed.
The veteran goalkeeper was 38 when he returned to Borussia Dortmund in 2008, four years on from playing his part in the Invincibles season, but even then his personality alone meant he left a big hole when moving on.
Arsenal have enjoyed some high moments from the 14 goalkeepers named in Premier League matchday squads since then (Deyan Iliev, having only made cup squads, misses out), but none have had the combination of impact and lasting power as the German.
Nevertheless, some have done noticeably better (or less badly) than others…
14. Emiliano Viviano
Why did they sign him? A one-year loan from Fiorentina, during which time he played a grand total of (drumroll…) zero minutes. Not even a League Cup or European run-out.
We hope his bizarre decision to take the No.2 shirt after moving to Sampdoria was meant as a barbed comment to Arsene Wenger.
13. Runar Alex Runarsson
Currently out on loan at Alanyaspor, Runarsson has played 18 Premier League minutes since signing for Arsenal in 2020. Which is 18 more than Viviano. And he didn’t concede in those 18 minutes either.
But in his four Europa League appearances and one Carabao cup game, it was pretty clear he wasn’t up to the required standard. Riyad Mahrez certainly wasn’t very impressed.
🗣 “I was surprised about the positioning of the keeper, he was so close to the post”
Riyad Mahrez on his free-kick goal against Rúnarsson pic.twitter.com/7HN1PW1Vrj
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 22, 2020
12. Vito Mannone
The second Italian on this list doesn’t fare much better than Viniano, despite him playing a whole 26 games for the club.
The longest-lasting memory of the keeper, currently a free agent, is the moment he temporarily forgot how his body worked during a Champions League defeat to Olympiakos.
11. Matt Macey
Macey was an employee of Arsenal from 2014 until 2021, when he left for Hibs. He played two games for the Gunners, neither of which we can remember. Somehow, that counts as an improvement on Mannone and Runarsson.
10. Mathew Ryan
Ryan just about makes the top 10, despite losing a few points for spelling his name with one tee.
After a solid spell Brighton, Graham Potter dropped Ryan and told him he could look for a new club. Slightly unexpectedly, Arsenal took him on a half-season loan as back-up for Bernd Leno.
It was…
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