Jens Lehmann admits he
thought about moving to Germany before agreeing to stay at
Arsenal.
The goalkeeper put pen-to-paper on a new one-year deal at Emirates
Stadium earlier this week to put an end to speculation about his
future.
Lehmann's desire to be awarded a two-year extension was at odds
with Arsene Wenger's policy of giving 12-month deals to players
over 30, and rumours surfaced that he could be set to leave the
Premiership in the summer.
The former Borussia Dortmund man accepts that last summer's World
Cup led him to consider a move back to the Bundesliga, but he
insists he is thrilled to be staying with The Gunners.
"I am staying for another year and I'm delighted about that,"
Lehmann told Arsenal TV Online.
"I said I always loved it here but, of course, I had to make a
decision.
"I could have gone somewhere else but in the end I think there is a
good possibility to harvest something at this club, particularly
next season. I want to be a part of that.
"For a while I considered going back to Germany because we (Lehmann
and his family) loved it there during the last World Cup.
"My wife and children are very happy here but they could have
imagined going back to Germany and that is why we considered
leaving.
"But at the end as I said before the quality of the football here,
the club, the stadium and the fans - I know that and I like
that.
"It is the perfect environment for me to play football. I don't
know if I would have found that somewhere else."
Ooh no
