Petr Cech seals £10m Arsenal move and tweets goodbye to Chelsea fans

Football is a game in which attacking players grab most of the headlines and spotlight. When a list of greatest players is put together, offensive players take up most of the spots. The odd defensive mastermind may be included but is less likely that goalkeepers get as much love.

Of course, there are some outstanding goalkeepers that have been revered both in the league and globally. Chelsea Football Club (FC) has been fortunate to have a few talented goalkeepers. Peter Bonetti was a fan favorite in the 1960s and ‘70s and played an instrumental role in the FA Cup winning side of that era.



Bonetti was Chelsea’s first Player of the Year, and subsequent generations of footballers provided the likes of Carlo Cudicini and Eddie Niedzwiecki, both of whom collected the Player of the Year accolade in their playing years. The goalkeeper position had never been regarded as a problem for Chelsea, and so the signing of Petr Cech during the 2003/04 Premier League season didn’t raise many eyebrows. Indeed, few fans would have predicted the impact Cech would have for the club.

One Champions League, one Europa Cup, four Premier League, four FA Cups and three League Cups later and it’s widely considered that Cech was one of the biggest impact players in Chelsea’s history. His individual honors include being named Premier League Golden Glove winner three times; UEFA Best Goalkeeper three times; Chelsea’s Player of the Year in 2011; among others. In his Czech Republic homeland, he’s has been honored as the Czech Footballer of the Year on seven occasions.

The move

But all good things come to an end at some point, and after 11 years at Stamford Bridge, Petr Cech said goodbye to the club where he had set records and won 13 major trophies. After failing to dethrone Thibaut Courtois as the club’s number one goalkeeper, he sought a move out of Chelsea. Premier League clubs rarely sell star players to rivals, so it came as a surprise to many that Chelsea would allow him to move to fierce London rivals Arsenal FC.



For Arsenal fans such as Daniel Zysblat, Cech’s move to Arsenal was good news. French club Paris Saint-Germain were keen to sign the goalkeeper, but Cech wanted to stay in the Premier League and was looking forward to playing with the Gunners. Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho wasn’t quite keen to see one of his most decorated players move to a cross-town rival, but owner Roman Abramovich had the final say on the move.

Saying farewell

To show his appreciation to the fans and the Chelsea community, Cech penned a farewell letter that was posted on the club website. In the letter, he acknowledges that he never thought leaving Chelsea would happen, given the incredible journey and history he’d made with teammates. However, the limited playing time during the 2014/15 season had given him enough time to refresh mentally and realise he badly wanted more challenges. For him, the quality and challenge of the Premier League was irreplaceable; he wanted to keep playing in the league.

Most importantly, Cech thanked the fans that supported him over the years. To him, the incredible 11-year journey was one he would never forget. 



A new era – at Arsenal

In moving to Arsenal, Cech signed a four-year deal worth £10m. Arsenal, though not in great need of a keeper, benefit from having him on the side. Additionally, Cech ended his Chelsea with 228 clean sheets, a record in the league. His goal-stopping prowess was needed because while the Gunners can score goals, they have problems conceding them.

Cech’s presence can help the younger Arsenal keeper, Wojciech Szczesny, to improve. Thrust into the starting role while still green and having lacked a mentor to learn from for much of his Arsenal career, Szczesny could learn a lot from the veteran goalkeeper. Rather than cause his career to falter, Cech’s move might be what the younger goalkeeper needs to become a top performer.

With Cech, Arsenal is a better side. That he’s the impact player they’ve been looking for to challenge for the title remains to be seen. He didn’t have to wait long to face his former club either. The two sides were slated to meet in the season-opening Community Shield match.

At 33 years of age, some have said that it is possible that Cech might not pan out to be the goalkeeping ace he’s been revered for. But such thinking would be speculative, and the general feeling is that he is a good goalkeeper that might turn out to be a quality signing for Wenger.