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CECH – THE PERFECT SIGNING FOR WENGER & ARSENAL

Cech – The Perfect Signing For Wenger & Arsenal

For a club who have been known to leave their transfer dealings to the last minute in the past, the timing of Arsenal’s capture of Petr Cech must almost be as pleasing to Gunners fans as the deal itself. £10.9m represents a fantastic price for a goalkeeper who will immediately improve the first-team and solve a problem position, and the fact that the business has been done early means that Cech will benefit from an entire pre-season at London Colney, Arsenal’s training base in Hertfordshire.

Arsene Wenger has had, at best, mixed success when it comes to signing keepers. David Seaman was excellent for the first seven years of the Frenchman’s tenure, but he was inherited from the George Graham era. Jens Lehmann, signed in 2003, was an overall success, although even he was guilty of making some high-profile mistakes.

Those two custodians aside, Wenger’s goalkeeping additions have been a relatively undistinguished bunch, at least for a side aiming to challenge for major honours: Alex Manninger, Richard Wright, Rami Shaaban, Guillaume Warmuz, Manuel Almunia, Mart Poom, Vito Mannone, Lukasz Fabianski, Emiliano Viviano and David Ospina. Granted, many of those names were brought in as backup options rather than No.1s, but Cech – a man who has won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League – is clearly on another level entirely.

Not just an excellent shot-stopper, the Czech Republic international is an imposing figure who dominates his penalty area, something that will aid Arsenal when it comes to defending aerial balls and set-pieces. His mere knowledge and knowhow will help in the dressing room too, as the Gunners attempt to win the Premier League for the first time in 12 years next term.

Most interestingly of all, though, is that Cech’s arrival is another sign of Wenger’s increased pragmatism. Arsenal ultimately finished 12 points adrift of champions Chelsea last season, but there were moments that suggested they had started to address some of the team’s long-standing issues.

January’s away win at Manchester City was perhaps the best example of Wenger’s new-found willingness to cede possession, stay compact defensively and play reactive football against a fellow big side. Arsenal were excellent that afternoon, picking up a deserved 2-0 victory despite Manuel Pellegrini’s side having 65 percent of the ball.

There were also other instances of such an approach throughout 2014-15, including the FA Cup quarter-final triumph over Manchester United at Old Trafford and a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in the league. Learning to grind out results is a key step in any title-aspiring outfit’s progression.

Another area where Wenger’s idealism has traditionally permeated is the development of young players. Many of the 65-year-old’s best signings at Arsenal were those who joined in the formative years of their careers and, with the help of Wenger’s guidance, became top-level footballers. The likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Cesc Fabregas arrived as players of promise and departed as world-class stars.

Such success stories, together with Wenger’s own ideals, induced a sense of loyalty from the manager towards his players that was sometimes disproportionate: Wenger often appeared reluctant to buy the finished article in case it damaged the confidence of one of his youngsters, even if the player in question did not have the talent to reach the levels of an Henry or Fabregas. The Frenchman’s purism was admirable, if not entirely conducive to competing for silverware at the very highest level.

While Arsenal’s advances over the last couple of seasons have partly been brought about by an increased spending power, Wenger’s slight shift in mindset and increased willingness to compromise or dilute his principles has also made his team better equipped for a prolonged title push. The signing of Cech is an excellent one in itself, but it is also interesting in what it reveals about Wenger, who, even after almost two decades of employment on these shores, remains one of English football’s most intriguing characters.