‘Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich didn’t want me to join Arsenal – I’m grateful that he let me go’: Former Blues star reveals what really happened in cross-London move in 2015
Chelsea lost a fan-favourite to Arsenal in 2015, but former owner Roman Abramovich tried his best to make sure he didn't leave
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has finally lifted the lid on his move from West to North London back in 2015 just months after lifting the Premier League title for the fourth time.
The Czechia international established himself as arguably the Premier League's greatest-ever goalkeeper during his time at Stamford Bridge, breaking the record for clean sheets which still stands to this day.
The rugby cap-donning stopper has a place in Chelsea history, yet he has revealed that he was the one who instigated the move to heated rivals Arsenal.
Cech failed to replicate his success upon arrival at the Emirates Stadium (Image credit: PA)
Chelsea hero Cech reveals all
Cech's £10 million arrival in 2015 signified a strange time for Arsenal as a football club.
Disenfranchised with heroic manager Arsene Wenger and seemingly still suffering from the financial burden of building the Emirates, the Gunners were a shell of the team they were ten years prior.
Cech was one of just two signings that summer for arsenal, alongside Mohamed Elneny, as they looked to develop a side consisting of talents such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
Petr Cech in action for Chelsea in the 2012 Champions League final against Bayern Munich. (Image credit: Getty Images)
Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo, Cech discussed his Chelsea departure and the circumstances surrounding it.
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"[It was] Very difficult," he explained. "I’d spent 11 seasons at the Bridge and I’d become part of the club. But it was reaching a point where I was thinking, ‘Life goes on; your career goes on’.
"When I had the chance to go to Arsenal, it was a fresh challenge. They’d been waiting to win the title for a long time and I felt it would be nice to go and help them to achieve that."
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He continued: "I had options abroad but, for me, the Premier League is, was, and has been for some time, the best league in the world. The fans, the atmospheres... football really is the number one thing in England and you feel it everywhere.
"Then the Arsenal opportunity came. I’d almost signed there when I was much younger and it hadn’t happened because of the work permit; this time, it wasn’t a problem.
"I’m always grateful to Mr [Roman] Abramovich and the board, because they were the ones who said, “OK, as it’s you and you’ve done everything for us, we’ll let you go.” They didn’t like the idea of me signing for a direct rival and helping them to win the Premier League – they really didn’t want that to happen.
"But because of what I’d done for the club, they thought, ‘Well, if that’s what you want...’"
Cech went on to make over 100 appearances for Arsenal, lifting the FA Cup in 2017 before retiring from football and pursuing a career in Ice Hockey.
James Ridge is a freelance journalist based in the UK. He recently spent time with The United Stand as an online news editor and has covered the beautiful game from England’s eighth tier all the way to the Premier League.
