Petr Cech’s Arsenal Transfer Shows Roman’s Naivety
It is no longer news that Chelsea Football Club’s goalkeeping legend, Petr Cech, has made the permanent 11 miles trip (or 6 miles, as the bird flies) to the Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club, perennial London rivals of Chelsea FC (although rivals may not really apply considering how one-sided ties between both clubs have become over the last 11 years).
RELATED: Chelsea FC’s Petr Cech Officially Signs For Arsenal FC
It is also not news that the move was sanctioned by Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, without the consent of the manager, Jose Mourinho. Cech clearly alluded to this fact in the open letter he wrote thanking the fans of Chelsea FC.
"That’s why I spoke to Mr. Abramovich about me staying in the Premier League and I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart for his support in this matter. It means so much to me because without him Chelsea Football Club would not be where it is now. He deserves huge credit for what he has done for the club and all of us."
The fact that Cech failed to make any special mention about the manager who gave him the opportunity to become the player he is will most certainly have been picked up by the members of the press and would be another stick to beat Mourinho with, but that is a discussion for another article.
Abramovich’s decision to sanction Cech’s transfer to Arsenal, while it may improve Chelsea’s PR and reputation in world football, smacks of slack club management and naivete. Jose Mourinho had earlier stated that while he accepts the fact that Abramovich has the final say in Cech’s next transfer, the only acceptable outcomes would either be Cech remaining at club or joining a club outside England, definitely not a rival like Arsenal FC.
Now the point of this article is not to castigate Petr Cech for making the move to join a rival club. I understand the motives behind his decision… the need to keep his family settled in England, and London, as well as the opportunity to break the Premier League’s clean sheet record (currently 170 held by David James), with him being 5 clean sheets away.
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Frankly, I am not one of those that believes he owes Chelsea for all the years of success he achieved. He played his role magnificently and almost lost his life at one point. And Mourinho’s decision to make Thibaut Courtois first choice goalkeeper must have made him consider his future at the club, which is pretty understandable.
But I also do not believe the club owes him anything for all the years of success it achieved with him in goal. He was well paid during his 11 years at the club, and even when he had his series of major injuries, he was well handled by the club. And while he may have questioned Mourinho’s decision to promote Courtois ahead of him, he should also remember that he became first choice under similar circumstances.
And what was Mourinho supposed to do anyway? Even those who criticized Chelsea for making the decision would have ridiculed the club if they had allowed the best young goalkeeper in the world to leave. Courtois was obviously ready to become first choice as his performances with Atletico Madrid indicated, so it was the only logical decision to be made.
So Abramovich’s decision to allow him join Arsenal on sentimental grounds was totally un-necessary and ill-advised. To get an idea of how pivotal such a signing could be, look no further than Edwin Van Der Sar’s transfer from Fulham to Manchester United in 2005. The then 34-year old won everything with Man Utd in his 6 years at the club, becoming a key player for them.
Chelsea, and Abramovich, may feel that they got a good fee for the goalkeeper, reportedly 11 million pounds, which currently make Cech the 6th most expensive goalkeeper and the most expensive fee ever paid for a 33-year old. It also ensures that Chelsea make a profit from a player they signed for 7 milion pounds 11 years ago. But the fact that several clubs, including Real Madrid, PSG (who made a concrete offer to Cech, which was rejected), Manchester Utd, Inter Milan etc, showed interest in the Czech international could have driven the fee a little bit higher, even closer to 20 million. But Cech’s insistence on joining Arsenal, and Abramovich’s support, ensured that the ball was always in Arsenal’s court, making it easy to get him.
Also, the fact that he was allowed to join a club that almost ran Chelsea close during the latter stage of last season, when Wenger finally decided that having a solid defence and a competent goalkeeper could make a huge difference, makes the transfer even worse.
The Gunners have been crying out for a world-class goalkeeper since David Seaman left the club in 2003, and while Jens Lehmann came close to meeting that requirement, taking into consideration his role in Arsenal’s unbeaten 2003/04 season as well as the run to the 2005/06 Champion’s League final, he was more remembered for the multitude of comical errors that eventually characterised his last few years at the club. By signing Petr Cech, Wenger has finally managed to snag the quality of goalkeeper the club has been looking for. The fact that he joined from a perennial rival, and the club managed by his worst enemy, makes the deal even sweeter.
The psychological effect of the transfer should not be underestimated as well, because by signing Petr Cech, Arsenal have managed to get a player accustomed to winning. To put it into perspective, Arsenal failed to win a single trophy for 9 years before the signing of Mesut Ozil saw them win the F.A. Cup. The addition of Alexis Sanchez ensured they won it again, this time with relative ease.
The signing of Petr Cech could have the same effect next season, in terms of giving the club the defensive stability it has been craving for years, as there are few goalkeepers better than Cech as coordinating the backline. With Cech running things in defense and Sanchez and Ozil doing same at the other end, winning the EPL could be a reasonable probability in the not-too-distant future.
In recent times, Jose Mourinho has not been averse to selling top players to English clubs, as Juan Mata’s transfer to Man Utd indicates. But the major difference is that he would definitely not have allowed it to happen if Sir Alex Ferguson was in charge. The move was beneficial to Chelsea on all fronts because he wasn’t strengthening a direct rival, as Man Utd were practically struggling under David Moyes, while getting the maximum value possible for the player, as no other club was willing to pay even close to the 37 million pounds Man Utd offered for the then 25-year old. Cech’s transfer to Arsenal doesn’t qualify as it strengthens a direct rival, and the club failed to get the highest possible value for the player.
When Arsene Wenger, who is always very cautious with transfers, vetoes the signing of a 33-year old for 11 million pounds, it should make the alarm bells of any football enthusiast start blaring seriously. Unfortunately, Roman failed to heed the warning of Mourinho and the members of the British press that questioned the rationale behind sanctioning such a transfer.
Unfortunately, Roman failed to heed the warning of Mourinho and the members of the British press that questioned the rationale behind sanctioning such a transfer
Mourinho’s first spell at the club ended when he was sacked after his spat with Roman Abramovich over some board-room decisions, most notable the signing of Andriy Shevchenko. While he has claimed that he would like to stay at the club for 10 years, this current situation must really rankle and could make him question the club’s commitment to him.
The current situation is even much worse because he will definitely feel betrayed by Roman’s decision to allow a club stalwart, who was groomed by him, to join a rival club, and most importantly, one managed by a coach he doesn’t see eye-to-eye with. This doesn’t auger well for the future of the club, and knowing how proud and obstinate Mourinho can be, he could make outrageous demands that could force the club consider terminating his contract.
Chelsea FC has been mooted to be keenly interested in signing Stoke City’s Asmir Begovic (who is rumoured to have agreed personal terms) as a replacement for the departed Petr Cech, with a 6 million pound bid recently rejected by the club, who are holding out for 8 million. But every football enthusiast (and Chelsea fans in particular) would be waiting with bated breaths for Mourinho’s reaction to the recent development, as it could play a major role in his and the club’s future.
Cech’s competitive debut for his new club could be the Community Shield clash in early August against the club he has just recently departed. But one thing is for sure… he is almost certain to be widely applauded by the majority of Chelsea fans who remember the years of loyal service he gave the club, which would be fitting for an extraordinary man, footballer and legend!
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