Petr Cech deal signifies Arsene Wenger's first victory of sorts over Jose Mourinho

After weeks of speculation and negotiations, possibly the most notable transfer of the summer was announced yesterday, with Chelsea goal keeping legend Petr Cech joining London rivals Arsenal for £10 million on a four-year contract after being displaced by young Belgian Thibaut Courtois last season. The signing was met with sheer delight from Gunners fans, and players alike.

The man who will take the most satisfaction from this stunning capture is arguably Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who has finally been able to get one over long-time nemesis Jose Mourinho, despite it not being a success on the pitch itself.

From the outset Mourinho made it a abundantly clear that he was absolutely against allowing Cech to sign for a Premier League title rival, as the gain of the 33-year-old would drastically strengthen any team that is vying for the championship.

With Arsenal showing concrete interest, it only increased Mourinho’s reluctancy to negotiate, well aware that allowing him to make the move to North London would significantly upgrade their goal keeping stocks, that, for a number of years, have quite frankly been no-where near good enough to challenge for the big prizes.

Regardless of the managers’ attempts to sabotage the deal, Roman Abramovich had the final say, granting Cech his blessing of remaining in London out of a mark of respect for his phenomenal service to the Blues over a trophy littered 11 year spell at Stamford Bridge. Once the green light was given, the two clubs were able to negotiate the transfer, collimating in the official unveiling yesterday.

John Terry was recently quoted as saying that Cech will be worth 12-15 points to Arsenal, a tally that could bridge the gap between the two clubs and finally catapult Arsenal into title calculations next season. And one thing is for sure, ‘The Special One’ will be absolutely livid this deal has gone through.

Mourinho has never been beaten by Wenger in their 13 duals over 11 years, this signing, however, is not only the first time Wenger has enjoyed any sort of success over his Portuguese counterpart, but this could the mark the beginning of a new era and a potential shift in power towards the Frenchman.

For years Arsenal were reduced to a having the unwanted tag of being a selling club, having their best players constantly picked off by Premier League rivals and left to fend for transfer market scraps as the financial strain’s of the stadium hindered Wenger’s ability to attract world class players.

Bumper new commercial deals and the minimised stadium debt has given Wenger the licence to target the upper echelon of footballing talent in Europe, with Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and now Cech, from a fellow title aspirant, highlighting the change in philosophy.

It is a rare dealing between Arsenal and Chelsea, with the last noteworthy transfer involving the controversial move of Ashley Cole swapping red for blue with William Gallas, and a measly £5 million going in the other direction, a deal that was seen as the beginning of Arsenal’s demise as Chelsea flexed their financial muscle. 

Ever since Mourinho joined Chelsea, he and Wenger have been at war, exchanging verbal barbs. Mourinho once labelled Wenger a ‘specialist in failure’ after not winning a trophy in nine years and a Premier League title since 2004. There was even a physical altercation between the two where Wenger shoved Mourinho in another touchline spate last season.

However, the signing of the Czech could prove to be a major piece in Arsenal’s title winning puzzle, as not since Jen’s Lehmann in the 2003/04 Invincible’s season have the Gunners had a shot stopper of genuine quality. It is a position that has seemingly been neglected by Wenger for over a decade, that is not the case anymore.

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Cech is an outstanding gloveman and still has 5-6 years left in him at the top level. He brings a wealth of big game know-how, a commanding presence of his area and on-field leadership that will install confidence in whatever defence is in front of him, with an enormous appetite for success.

Much like the signing of Dennis Bergkamp, the arrival of Cech has a real game changing feel about it, and showcases Wenger’s newly found ruthless, short term approach that has been welcome by all Gunners fans who are so desperate to see this team become champions of England once more. A defensive-midfielder and a predatory striker could see Arsenal become Chelsea’s main threat this season.

Whether this can equate to Wenger finally breaking his Mourinho hoodoo remains to be seen, but the signing of Cech is an enormous step in the right direction. All of a sudden the Community Shield clash in just over a months time holds extra significance. A victory for Wenger would be a huge phycological boost going into the new campaign.

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