Former Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has questioned the involvement of three of his old teammates in Spotify owner Daniel Ek’s potential takeover of the Gunners. Arsenal legends Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Dennis Bergkamp are widely understood to have joined Ek in a bid to purchase the club from Kroenke Sport & Entertainment (KSE).
Josh Kroenke, who owns KSE, is unwilling to sell but could be tempted by an offer of £2bn, according to various reports.
Fan dissatisfaction with the Kroenke's reached a nadir last week when Arsenal were one of 12 founder members of the now collapsed plans to form a European Super League.
A protest outside the Emirates Stadium prior to the North Londoners’ 1-0 defeat against Everton demanded that KSE relinquish their control of the club.
It prompted Ek, worth a reported £3.3bn according to Forbes, to tweet that he would be willing to purchase his boyhood club.
Jens Lehmann and former teammate Dennis Bergkamp (Image: GETTY)
“As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for @Arsenal as long as I can remember,” the 38-year-old wrote on Friday.
“If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I'd be happy to throw my hat in the ring.”
Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira have since joined forces with Ek.
But Lehmann, who made 200 appearances for Arsenal between 2003 and 2008, has questioned the involvement of the trio because he feels that the structure they would work within remains unclear.
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"It would be fantastic to have my former team-mates working for Arsenal again, because they are all great guys,” the 51-year-old, who is now a board member at German Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin, told Sky Sports.
“But I don’t know if the Kroenke family actually wants to sell Arsenal. That’s the first question I have.
"And from my encounters with Josh Kroenke, for example, he’s a very nice guy. He was very interested to lead Arsenal into a brighter future.
“If a new owner, just in case he comes in, is confronted with the same challenges then he might have to ask the same questions.