Lehmann eyes up coaching career

Ex-Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann has said he learned enough from his five years under Arsene Wenger at Premier League side Arsenal to consider a career in coaching.

“After each (of Wenger's) speeches to the team, you would learn something new about football,” Lehmann told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

“During my first year at Arsenal, I started to take notes and I continued until my last season there.

“I noted the course of the training sessions, the exercises that he made us do and I carefully arranged my notes.

“I do not have a coaching qualification, but I think that I could begin a career as a coach tomorrow.”

Lehmann joined Stuttgart last summer after losing his first team place at Arsenal and retired from international duty in August having made his last appearance for Germany in the Euro 2008 final in the 1-0 defeat to Spain.

At 39, Lehmann says he does not know how long he will continue to play football with his Stuttgart contract set to expire in June 2009.

“Either I stop in June, or I continue and I want to continue to play at the highest level,” he said.

“I know I am 39, but I do not feel my age.

“My decision depends a little bit on the opinion of Stuttgart.”

After Stuttgart sacked trainer Armin Veh three weeks ago, former Germany defender Markus Babbel took over as head coach, in his first senior coaching role, but at 36 the new boss is younger than his goalkeeper.

But Lehmann insists both he and Babbel learned from some of the best in the business.

“Like me, Markus played in one of the best clubs in Liverpool under the direction of Gerard Houllier, somebody who knows about football,” Lehmann said.