The 25-year-old England left-back eventually left for £5m (€7.4m) in a deal that also saw William Gallas move in the opposite direction, ending a bitter chapter in the clubs’ rivalry.

Arsenal supporters were further enraged by the subsequent publication of Cole’s autobiography, My Defence, in which he declared he had been “betrayed” by the Gunners’ offer of a £55,000 (€81,200)-per-week contract.

Other parting shots were fired at his former employers, guaranteeing a hostile reception from visiting fans in Sunday’s Premiership showdown, the first time the clubs will have met since the transfer.

Lehmann, 37, insists he will deserve the stick and labelled the publication of a book at such an early stage of a player’s career as an “English habit”.

“Of course Ashley should expect criticism from supporters on Sunday. He should get criticism. That is football. It makes the game exciting,” he said.

“If he didn’t it would have meant that he wasn’t an important player, but he was. He was a vital member of our squad and we enjoyed some major successes with him.

“So obviously he should expect some negative emotions when he plays against Arsenal.

“I do not understand why young players write books. I do not know why a player at 25 wants to tell me all about their big experiences.

“When I consider the age I am now, I would have a lot to tell people, but it seems to be an English habit to come out with books that nobody needs.

“I don’t know if Cole should have waited before writing his book but the English mentality seems to be different to elsewhere.

“I will probably write one when I retire, but I am a bit older than these players. As I said, what is the point of writing a book at 25?”

Lehmann’s opinion is backed by sales figures for the autobiography, which has sold only 4,000 copies, but the German keeper insists he understands Cole’s reasons for leaving Ashburton Grove.

“I always liked Ashley. We had some major success together and I’m looking forward to playing against him,” he said.

“I will see if he has become stronger since going to Chelsea. It will be good to play against him. He is young and has made some mistakes, but I don’t really care about that.

“For me, he is a nice guy and a fantastic player. He has gained a lot from his experiences at Arsenal but it was time for him to move onwards.

“You can’t really blame him for the decision he made. That’s life. He’s a nice lad and a very good player.”

Lehmann helped Arsenal to a goalless draw in last night’s Champions League clash with Porto, an outcome that guaranteed both clubs’ presence when the competition resumes in February.

The Gunners qualified as group leaders but had to endure a few nervous moments at the Estadio do Dragao, with Ricardo Quaresma hitting the woodwork twice in the second half.

A hamstring injury to Johan Djourou emerged as a blot on the evening, with the Swiss defender now a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Premiership leaders Chelsea.

William Gallas only has a 20% chance of making the game because of his thigh problem, while Kolo Toure is suspended, leaving Arsene Wenger desperately short of options at the back.

He will have no choice but to play Philippe Senderos, an option he wanted to avoid given the Swiss international’s nightmare run against Blues striker and nemesis Didier Drogba.

“We could have problems in defence for Chelsea. We will have to wait and see. There are four days to go until Sunday. We will find somebody who will show up as a centre-half,” said Lehmann.

“Philippe will be okay against Drogba. He’s intelligent. It’s not a problem. He has played some great games this year so we will see how he will cope on Sunday.”