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Over a recent 20-year time period in north London, Arsenal have been blessed to have had consistent goalkeepers between the woodwork. Both David Seaman and Jens Lehmann are standout keepers in club history, but who takes all the marbles?
Arriving in north London in 1990 for a record goalkeeper transfer fee, Arsenal fans were very reluctant in accepting, former QPR keeper, David Seaman. What do good housekeepers and goalkeepers have in common? Clean sheets. Seaman rattled off 23 clean sheets in his first campaign for the Gunners, helping the club with the league title in his first year between the pipes. Not only was Seaman great domestically, his worth was proven internationally while he shined for England in the 1996 Euros. His international career has one demerit – Ronaldinho’s cheeky free-kick in the 2002 World Cup. Seaman managed to bring eight trophies to north London in a staggering 564 appearances for the Gunners – which ended with a 1-0 FA Cup final win over Southampton.
With big shoes to fill left behind by Seaman, Borussia Dortmund keeper Jens Lehmann was transferred to north London in the July of 2003. This German keeper won the Premier League’s Golden Glove Award in just his first year as a Gunner – with the help of the other Invincibles. In his 200 club appearances, Lehmann didn’t seem to have been taken for granted, because all the focus was on Thierry Henry and others. Bringing three trophies to the club during his eight-year tenure for the Gunners, Jens Lehmann provided emphatic saves to propel the Gunners to victory – including the PK save on Paul Scholes in the 2005 FA Cup Final. Lehmann seemed to be more outspoken in the locker room, not on the field – leaving his play to do the talking.
Both keepers were very influential towards the club’s victory during their time in north London, but it’s hard to argue against the tally of trophies when comparing each keeper – David Seaman just edges out Jens Lehmann when comparing these two great Arsenal keepers.
