Lehmann fails to keep hold of Arsenal No 1 jersey

Almunia has not played since dislocating his finger in training three weeks ago, handing Lehmann the chance to play in Arsenal's last four outings — his best run of the season.

Outside the four-goal FA Cup drubbing at the hands of Manchester United, none of which were down to the 38-year-old, Lehmann has conceded just one goal in his first two Barclays Premier League outings since August to go with his Champions League shut-out in midweek. But it seems that is not enough to retain his place.

Wenger was playing his cards close to his chest yesterday, although he did confirm he has already made up his mind about who will keep goal today.

'Come to the game and you will see. We will have a goalkeeper,' quipped the Arsenal chief.

Asked whether it had been a difficult decision, he added: 'No, because I have made up my mind.

'A difficult decision is if you cannot make up your mind.'

Losing the jersey will disappoint Lehmann who is desperate to play in order to secure his place as Germany's first-choice keeper for this summer's European Championship.

But a return for Almunia falls into line with Wenger's selection policy when Lehmann was his undisputed No 1.

The veteran German was always recalled after injury even though Almunia had deputised.

But now that the balance of power has shifted in the Spaniard's favour, it seems it will be Lehmann who must be satisfied with a place on the bench.

With Lehmann widely expected to depart when his contract expires in the summer, Wenger admitted his main focus is to keep the remainder of his title-chasing side together — a factor which favours Almunia.

The Arsenal boss said: 'I've worked very hard to build this team and my first priority is to keep this team together.

'After that, if I can add one or two more, and I have funds available, I will do it. But the first priority is to keep the team together.'

His first order of business is to resolve Mathieu Flamini's longrunning contract saga given the France midfielder has yet to agree a new five-year deal offered to him before Christmas.

But handing Flamini improved terms will not represent a problem in view of Arsenal's announcement of a 54 per cent rise in their half-yearly profits yesterday.

The club made a pre-tax profit of £20million in the six months until the end of November, up from £12.6m in the same period the previous year.

Arsenal's figures contrast sharply with those announced by Chelsea, who lost £74.8m for the year ending June 2007.

'If you want to make money, buy a club and employ me! You will make money!' joked the Arsenal chief before putting yet another set of healthy figures into perspective.

He said: 'People pay a big price to watch a game. They don't care how much money you make or how much money you lose.

'It's down to you to do the job of making a club survive and to give the fans what they want when they come to a football game: enjoyment. That is our responsibility.

'Give them enjoyment, while respecting the problem of keeping the club in good health financially.'

The Premier League's plan for a 39th game abroad would, of course, serve to swell Arsenal's coffers even further. But Wenger admitted he is pleased that the controversial proposal seems doomed to failure.

He said: 'The idea looks dead. It came out in a brutal way and the PR was not done well. I was happy to analyse the idea but I won't be crying if it doesn't happen.'