It is unlikely Arsenal would have looked to sell the Czech worldwide to the Blues at any point, and considering the decency Cech displayed when he moved to the Gunners this week, compared to others that switched across London, it would have been against his character to demand a switch.
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The manager, speaking to Chelseafc.com, thanked Cech for his wonderful years of service, also empathizing with him and his need for regular first team football.
The new signing said: “I’m really excited about joining Arsenal Football Club and can’t wait to join up for pre-season”.
Despite being reduced to a bit-part role last season, Cech still showed his goalkeeping prowess by recording five clean sheets in his seven Premier League appearances.
“In January I spoke to Adam Nawalka [the Poland manager] and he said that Wenger had told him that if Szczęsny worked hard in training he would play again soon”, Tomaszewski told Przęglad Sportowy.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said Cech was one of the outstanding keepers in the world and would be a great addition to the Gunners squad.
In the same period, Arsenal had to make do with three FA Cup triumphs, including a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa in last season’s final.
Chelsea described the departing custodian as an “icon” on their official website, with Cech himself posting a lengthy letter to their supporters on his Twitter page. Hopefully, he has an enjoyable time there, albeit one without much club success.
“You can have a plan, but sometimes, it doesn’t turn out the way you want”, he added.
Mourinho admits he wanted to keep the 33-year-old at the club but said he was in full support of Roman Abramovich’s decision to allow the shot-stopper to leave to join one of Chelsea’s biggest rivals. “Hopefully I will have as much success as I had at Chelsea“.
“But most important of all – a huge thank you goes to all the Chelsea fans”.
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“The welcome messages from my team-mates and Arsenal fans were absolutely unbelievable”. Chelsea loses the clubs most decorated goalkeeper in their history to a rival who will challenge them for the title next season.
