Arsenal have made one of the biggest signings in terms of making their squad better. We aren’t talking about a big money move for a South American superstar or a French flair player; we are instead talking about the completion of Petr Cech’s move from Chelsea.
The Czech goalkeeper has been in line with a move away from Stamford Bridge since the end of last season. His role was taken up by the much younger Thibaut Courtois and it was only a matter of time before a top club came calling for him. The most surprising aspect of this transfer was that Cech joined another Premier League club. It is not like Jose likes to make his opponents stronger, but this deal certainly has helped Arsenal more than it has helped Chelsea. We look at 3 reasons why this deal actually makes sense for all parties.
Arsenal finally get a top goalkeeper
We can’t recall a top goalkeeper playing for Arsenal since David Seaman. They have had multiple goalkeepers with varying degrees of success, Fabianski, Szczesny, Ospina, Lehmann, and Almunia, to name a few, but none of them can hold a candle to Cech. Petr is one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League at the moment. Not only is he one of the best, he has a ton of experience of playing in the Premier League and is still in his prime, at only 33. He still can provide a lot to Arsenal with his leadership and ability to play in between the sticks.
Regular first team football for a top club
When Courtois arrived at Chelsea, it was expected that Cech would make way for the younger keeper. While Cech was magnanimous at not making a huge fuss about this situation, he did want to play regular football for a top club. This deal ensures that Cech can still continue playing for a top club in the country and not have to relocate, something which no one wants to do. His life in London is set and although he has moved between a couple of bitter rivals, there won’t be any animosity between most of the Chelsea fans for the loyal service Cech has provided over the years.
Chelsea do make a decent buck
Chelsea sold off one of their best players to a rival but are going to make a decent sum out of it. Jose over the years has been excellent in his player sales; we all remember the Juan Mata and David Luiz sales. While this is not on the same scale as the previous ones, it still is a great bit of business. Petr Cech wanted to leave, Chelsea are willing to sell and made £10 million from the transfer of a 33-year-old player who hasn’t played much last season. The deal might be good in the short term for Chelsea but if Cech does play at the level he has shown over the past decade, this transfer could come back to bite Chelsea.