A lot of people in the football world believe that the transfer of Petr Cech from Chelsea will give Arsenal a much btter chance of finally regaining the Premier League title. And it appears that our new Number One (squad number to be confirmed..) is confident that the Gunners have got the players to do it.
In a report on the Arsenal website, the 33-year old keeper has talked about the balance that Arsenal have in the team. He made it clear that he had not just made the short trip across London to avoid having to uproot his family after 11 years in the capital. And, as he points out, with the likes of Ozil, Cazorla, Mertesacker and Alexis Sanchez in the squad, Arsenal have players that have won all sorts of major honours for club and country.
With the long wait for a trophy at the club well and truly over following a second successive FA cup final win under the belt, the next step is obviously to be the best over a whole season and Cech believes we can do it.
He said, “Winning the FA Cup is great for the club and great for the confidence of the players’ mentality. I believe there is a nice platform for Arsenal to build on and I hope in the new season we will make another step forward.
“I believe I will win trophies at Arsenal. It is as simple as that.
“In the Arsenal squad we have World Cup winners, a guy who has won the Champions League, so many internationals with vast experience and many talented players who will want to prove a point and win the league and the Champions League.
“There is a great balance between the experienced and the young, so there is no reason why I wouldn’t think that I am going to win trophies.”
“Yes, there were other clubs in for me but I had said previously that I would put all the offers down next to one another and choose the best one for football reasons. Arsenal came to me with the best football reasons.
“They have shown me real commitment. It was never about financial offers, it was only ever about football and I am really glad that I can continue in the Premier League.”
With all that said, it should not make that much difference having one more player with a roomful of winners medals at the club. But I have a feeling that there is a mental obstacle for us in the Premier League. The same was true at Chelsea, however, before they finally won a second ever league title in the same year that Cech and Mourinho joined.
The keeper must have felt that weight of expectation and perhaps his experience of it can help his new team mates to get over it. So has Wenger signed more than just goalkeeping ability from Chelsea?