Arsenal finally scratch out goalkeeper itch: Cech signing makes Gunners title contenders

There must be a good reason why Jose Mourinho did not want Petr Cech to make the one way journey to The Emirates Stadium, less than an hour away from Stamford Bridge. Mourinho likes to keep his team strong, but he also wouldn’t mind seeing his competition not get any stronger, especially through deeds of his own. And with Cech guarding the woodwork at Arsenal — a direct rival for silverware will be a stronger competition than they have been in the recent past.

It’s not the fact that Petr Cech could be a Gunner that bothers Mourinho, but the fact that he could be a bulwark between the sticks for the North London club. Something that Arsenal hasn’t had for a long time.

Petr Cech, the gloved man at Stamford Bridge for 11 years, completed his transfer to Arsenal for a reported sum of about £11 million. The 33-year-old chose to move on in search for regular first-team football, which he had not been getting since the return of Thibaut Courtois (who is a decade younger than Cech) to Chelsea from his long loan spell at Atletico.

People do not rubbish claims of Cech still being one of the best goalkeepers in the world, for justifiable reasons. At Chelsea, Cech has exhibited consistency and excellence, reflected in the medals he’s won and the trophies in Chelsea’s cabinet. With Cech guarding goal, the West London club has won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one Champions League and a Europa League.

Arsenal has lost good players over the years, but they have been reconstructing well. Acquisition of Mesut Özil showed intent and getting Alexis Sanchez showed teeth. However, a chink in the armour has existed for long. Arsenal has had goalkeeper blues since the times of David Seaman and Jens Lehmann. Arsene Wenger has employed 15 goalkeepers since he came in as manager, 15 in 19 years at the club, an unsettling number considering goalkeepers settle well at a football club. They usually are longest serving members of a team.

Łukasz Fabiański showed promise; he is now showing promise at Swansea. Wojciech Szczęsny had a cigarette-induced meltdown in the shower after a match that didn’t go well, and David Ospina, despite being good, has been filling in. Ospina has posted 91% saves to shot ratio, best in the ongoing Copa America. Wenger still feels the need to sign Cech — borne out of a need for stability and a confident figure between the posts.

He has gone out of his system to bring Cech to Arsenal. Wenger put the ‘catch-when-they-hatch’ policy on hold and did what he had done only eight times before in his years at Arsenal - sign a player aged 30 or above. The rarity of this transfer protocol emphasises its importance.

Cech is the fastest to reach a 100 Premier League clean sheets (in 180 games) and also has the most clean sheets in a Premier League season (21). On an average, it takes 123 minutes to score against Cech in the Premier League. David James holds the Premier League clean sheets record, with 170 in 572 appearances — at the rate of a clean sheet every 3.36 games. Cech has 162 from 333 (at the rate of a clean sheet every 2.05 games) and it’s safe to say he will comfortably overtake James.

The records, however, do not matter — they’re just an indication of what to expect. What counts is whether the goalkeeper can be a game changer during the big matches — this is where fearlessness and mentality come in. Cech after his life threatening head injury came back as strong as ever and played out eight straight games without giving away a goal. He got Chelsea out of trouble on the biggest of nights in football, when he saved Arjen Robben’s penalty kick in the extra time of the Champions League final. His fingertips have saved Chelsea valuable points in the league year after year. In fact, John Terry said that Cech would save Arsenal 12-15 points in a season. Perhaps that is why Mourinho didn’t want Cech to go to Arsenal and also exactly why Wenger wanted him.

Since 2008 (when Lehmann departed the club), Arsenal has been in a similar position as Manchester United was in 1999-2005. In the six years between Peter Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar, Alex Ferguson employed an incredulous 10 goalkeepers which included the often aberrant Fabian Barthez. The last of them, Tim Howard, has since found his home at Everton.

Van der Sar came in from Fulham in 2005 and he fit right in. The tall Dutchman was exactly what Manchester United had lacked for a good amount of years: a commanding presence and a respected guardian watching the team’s back. He went on to play six seasons with United and helped them to four Premier League titles, two League Cups, a Champions League and a FIFA Club World Cup. United had scratched out its keeper itch. That is what Arsenal is doing now.

Edvin van der Sar was 34 when he joined United. Petr Cech is 33.