Petr Cech has waved goodbye to Chelsea and thanked Roman Abramovich for allowing him to join Premier League rivals Arsenal.
The Gunners today confirmed the arrival of the 33-year-old on a long-term contract, as revealed by GetWestLondon, for an undisclosed fee.
Cech admits the emergence of Belgian Thiabut Courtois as Jose Mourinho’s first-choice goalkeeper has forced him to quit Stamford Bridge.
Mourinho, who was embroiled in an on-running war of words with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger last season, made no secret of his wish to block the veteran’s move to their London rivals.
Petr Cech's Chelsea career in pictures:
However, Cech took to Twitter today to reveal he sought the blessing of the Blues’ billionaire owner Abramovich and the Russian sanction the move to the Emirates.
He wrote: “I love the challenges brought by the top quality players you face while playing in the Premier League - simply the best and most challenging league in the world.
“That’s why I spoke to Mr Abramovich about me staying in the Premier League and I’d like to thank him from the bottom of my heart for his support in this manner.”
Chelsea will need to bring in a new understudy for Courtois and the likes of Asmir Begovic, Robert Green and Marcus Bettinelli have all been considered as potential options.
Gunners boss Wenger added: “Petr Cech is a player that I have admired for a long time and I am very pleased that he has decided to join us.
“He has proven over many seasons that he is one of the outstanding keepers in the world and he will add great strength to our squad.”
