Jens Lehmann is wondering whether Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland could follow in his footsteps in an attempt to drag Arsenal back to the top of the Premier League standings, while speaking to BILD.
When the time comes for one of football’s greatest talents to graduate from the Signal Iduna Park finishing school, he will spark a transfer saga the likes of which we have seldom seen in the European game.
Every continental giant worth their salt is almost certain to come calling, with Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain likely to be jostling for position at the front of the very long queue.
You would get very long odds, then, on Haaland joining an Arsenal side sitting 12th in the Premier League following Monday’s fortuitous, last-gasp draw with Crystal Palace.
But that has not stopped Lehmann dreaming big.
What would it take for Erling Haaland to join Arsenal?
“He already has an imposing stature; the force and height. Of course, he has to improve his other (right) foot but I have never seen such a big, big player be so fast,” enthused Lehmann, who played every one of Arsenal’s 38 Premier League games during 2003/04’s ‘Invincible’ season.
“He’s still there (at Dortmund). There aren’t that many clubs where he can go and where he can make a difference.
“Maybe he could go to Manchester United or Arsenal, where he could bring a club back to the top.”
Haaland is rumoured to have a £68 million release clause in his contract; one that will come into effect during the summer of 2022.
If they smell the slightest whiff of an opportunity, it is hard to imagine that an Arsenal side who paid more than that to bring Nicolas Pepe to the Emirates will not jump at the chance to snatch a striker with 70 goals in 69 Dortmund appearances from under the noses of their Premier League rivals.
For now, however, Haaland at Arsenal feels like little more than a fuzzy fever dream.
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