Tag Archives: Petr Cech

The Most Expensive Arsenal XI In The Club’s History

Josh Challies June 23, 2017

Arsenal have successfully established themselves as one of the biggest clubs in world football and the Gunners have enjoyed a wealth of success in the Premier League era.

Winning three domestic crowns since 1992, the last of which came in 2004, Arsenal have also established themselves as the most successful club in FA Cup history- whilst manager Arsene Wenger has lifted more FA Cups than anyone else.

Naturally as a big club, Arsenal have to spend big funds to sign top players but the Gunners have seemed more reluctant to do so than their arch-rivals in the division, until recently of course as Wenger parted with over £100m last summer.

The majority of Arsenal’s most expensive dealings have come in recent years but there’s still a few names from the past that stand-out there as significant deals, so we’ve assembled the most-expensive Arsenal XI in the club’s history.

Before we start, we must mention that this is not just Arsenal’s most expensive 11 signings and is instead a line-up of their most expensive recruits across all positions throughout the years. All figures were collected from TransferMarkt.

GK: Petr Cech (£11.9m)

After a whopping 333 Premier League appearances for Chelsea, Petr Cech moved across London in 2015 to become Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper- after Thibaut Courtois’ return to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid pushed the veteran stopper down the pecking order.

Since then, Cech has lifted the FA Cup and Community Shield with Arsenal, making 69 Premier League appearances in total. Now 35, and showing signs of decline, rumours have speculated that Arsenal are in search of a long-term replacement.

Arsenal And Manchester United Stoppers Show Backup Goalkeepers Deserve Their Moments Of Fame

SamCox May 26, 2017

Being a backup goalkeeper is a strange life. Some players build an entire career on being happy to be second fiddle. Up and down the footballing world there are players who accept that they will never be first choice at their club. At the top level, they are usually treated to a few cup outings throughout the season so they remember how to stop the ball if they are ever needed on a regular basis.

Those outings extend if the club continues to succeed; at least they do most of the time. Some managers revert to their ‘number one’ once the latter rounds appear, but it seems increasingly common that managers continue to twist with their backup rather than the supposedly safer alternative.

David Ospina is in line to start for Arsenal in the FA Cup final in the same week Sergio Romero was preferred to David de Gea in the Europa League final. Both of the South American goalkeepers are exceptional backups, though neither have the slightest of chances of superseding de Gea or Petr Cech. Reputation holds for a long time as a goalkeeper.

Ospina will leave Arsenal this summer, while Romero remains firmly in de Gea’s shadow with Manchester United destined to sign another goalkeeper should the Spaniard finally return to Madrid. Their careers are unorthodox, and unlike any other position in football. Ospina has 77 caps for Chile, Romero has 87 caps for Argentina, yet they had a combined four Premier League appearances this season.

They each enjoyed their cup berths, with Romero collecting 12 matches in the Europa League and Ospina playing eight in the Champions League. The role as second choice is not as clear cut as it is at other clubs, but is this really what these two talented, experienced internationals envisaged their career to be?

They are superb assets for Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho. Both are unruffled by tense situations and have proven themselves to be up to more than an acceptable standard. Neither, though, can truly fill fulfilled by a campaign of being so obviously a secondary option as this, however much professionalism they show.

In a summer when Asmir Begovic is set to leave Chelsea and Willy Caballero has left Manchester City, goalkeepers may just be realising their own value. Caballero, Begovic, Romero and Ospina would walk into the majority of European teams, maybe contributing on the pitch will take priority over fledgling cup outings.

5 Changes, Koscielny Starts: The Much Changed Arsenal XI That Should Line-Up vs. Middlesbrough

Oli Price-Bates April 17, 2017

Arsenal are in a bad place at the moment, but with no announcement on Arsene Wenger’s future, the players and fans must focus on the remainder of the season and pick up the points they need to finish in the top four. We take a look at what needs to change in the Gunners next game.

On Monday night they face a Middlesbrough team that are equally as desperate for Premier League points and it will not be an easy game as the Gunners once again face an away game on a Monday night against a relegation candidate.

The game is being shown live on Sky Sports on Monday night and you can get a NowTV day pass and watch the game for just £6.29 with our fantastic 10% off a day pass offer.

Goalkeeper: Petr Cech

According to the Daily Star, Cech will be back fit again to face Middlesbrough, in which case he will come back into the line-up. If this story is not true, then I’d like to see Martinez start between the sticks again. He didn’t have his best game against Palace by any means, but he’s a promising keeper that needs minutes.

Defence: Hector Bellerin, Shkodran Mustafi, Laurent Koscielny, Kieran Gibbs

I think something needs to change at the heart of the Arsenal defence. Neither Mustafi nor Gabriel have been good enough recently but Mustafi is the senior of the pair and should keep his place in my opinion. Koscielny will hopefully be fit again and walk back into the XI, if not young Holding should come in for Gabriel. I think Holding has really impressed when given the chance for Arsenal so far, and he is already more mature mentally than Brazilian Gabriel. At left-back, it was another shambolic display from Monreal against Palace, Gibbs isn’t great, but he deserves a chance to show he is better than the Spaniard.

Central Midfield: Granit Xhaka, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Before his injury ‘The Ox’ was arguably Arsenal’s best player and now he is fit again he needs to be put back into central midfield, the position where he impresses most. His contract situation is up in the air at the moment and if Arsene wants to keep him, he needs to play him more regularly. Alongside Xhaka I think Arsenal would have a bit of everything at the base of the midfield, this would enable them to break down a resilient Boro team.

Attacking Midfield: Alex Iwobi, Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez

Dropped from the squad against Palace, now could be the game to bring back Iwobi. He has a point to prove and after another quiet performance from Theo Walcott at Selhurst Park, Iwobi could regain his first-team place with a good performance against Boro. They are a team that will be tight and hard to break down, so Iwobi’s creativity may be needed from wide areas.

Striker: Olivier Giroud

Wenger has given Danny Welbeck an extended run in the team but that has seen Olivier Giroud sit on the sidelines for an extended period of time. In my opinion, he again deserves to come back into the starting eleven, with Welbeck struggling to find the net in his recent appearances. Giroud will be need to help combat the physicality of Middlesbrough on Monday night, with West Brom and Crystal Palace exploiting those weaknesses in recent weeks.

Remember the game is live on Sky Sports tonight and Fresh Football readers can get Sky Sports for a full day for just £6.29. You can redeem the fantastic day pass offer by clicking here.

Stay tuned to our social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter for match reaction.

‘Pathetic’ Arsenal Fans Demand Key Player Is Dropped After Chelsea Performance

Oli Price-Bates February 6, 2017

Arsenal succumbed to their 2nd defeat in a week when they traveled to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon. The Arsenal team were very poor collectively, but one of the players that have been heavily criticised has been Petr Cech.

Embed from Getty Images

Playing against his former club, Cech was a calamity and made several errors during the game, the most noticeable and most damaging one being his pass straight to a Cesc Fabregas, who scored and thus ended any chance of an Arsenal revival.

And these errors were not the first we have seen him make. Although often exempt from criticism from the media due to his glittering career to date, Cech has endured a pretty terrible season to date. This has led to many fans questioning his place in the team, especially with his deputy, David Ospina, performing so well in the cup competitions.

Cech is close to reaching the end of his career and many feel that now would be a suitable time to call it a day.

Here’s some of the reaction to his performance from Twitter.

Personally I would agree with most of the criticism. He hasn’t been good for us this year at all, and whilst pundits predicted he would win us 10 points a season, it may well end of that he will lose us that amount. I don’t think that based on his form over his time at Arsenal, he can still be considered world class. His reactions have slowed to a quite worrying rate, so much so that I believe it is costing the club points. He’s also terrible at saving penalties, he hasn’t saved one during his time at Arsenal (and he’s faced a lot).

Perhaps his main issue though is his struggle to defend shots at his near post. This is a weakness to Cech’s game that has been spotted by the Arsenal fans, and it seems some strikers are well aware of it too. There’s too many areas of weakness creeping into his game and it’s certainly something that needs addressing at Arsenal in the summer.

‘Thank You Jose Mourinho’ Arsenal Fans React To Petr Cech’s Performance vs. Middlesbrough

Oli Price-Bates October 23, 2016

Arsenal were far from their best as they hosted Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon and they only managed to come away with a point, but if it wasn’t for Petr Cech they may have lost the game.

Cech had to make a number of saves in the first half to keep the scores level. The former Chelsea man has endured a poor start to the season (before yesterday at least) and his main competition in David Ospina has been playing well. Ospina most recently impressed on Wednesday night against Ludogorets in the Champions League, after this performance, many fans suggested that Ospina deserved to now start ahead of Cech in the Premier League.

But Cech responded very well on Saturday, making three crucial saves, including a double save where it appeared that Middlesbrough would surely take the lead. Arsenal signed Cech from Chelsea when of course Jose Mourinho was in charge, some of the fans are now sarcastically thanking Mourinho for Cech, although it is clear that Jose did not support the decision to allow Cech to join Arsenal.

One area Cech has struggled with this season is his distribution and on Saturday this was much improved. He boasted a pass success rate of 79% and made 19 successful passes, including 4 long balls during the game.

Here’s how the fans reacted to Cech’s performance vs. Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon.

Cech needed a performance like this to ensure he stayed ahead of Ospina in the pecking order. The Colombian will have been pushing him after another world class performance in the Champions League. Couple that with Cech’s questionable start to the season and there were rightly question marks over who should be Arsenal’s number 1 goalkeeper. Now it is up to Cech to consistently deliver those kind of performances and retain his spot.

Aged 34, many have questioned whether Cech is on the decline and how long he can last at the very top. Sometimes this season he has refused to dive when the ball was perhaps within reach - this is just one sign of an older goalkeeper. Saturday’s performance will have given him renewed confidence though, and a decision on his long term future should only be taken at the end of the season or after a long run of bad performances.

Arsenal Fans Call For Wenger To Drop World Class Player, And Select This Guy More Often

Oli Price-Bates October 20, 2016

Arsenal were impressive in their 6-0 win over Ludogorets last night, and whilst the focus may be on Mesut Ozil after his first career hat trick, another impressive performance from David Ospina has caused many fans to wonder whether he deserves to start ahead of Petr Cech.

When David Ospina was named in the starting line up against Paris Saint-Germain on the opening matchday of the Champions League, many fans were outraged, suggesting that Cech should be the man between the sticks. But Wenger put his faith in the Arsenal no.2, suggesting the club had two world class keepers. From what we’ve seen so far, he isn’t wrong. Ospina excelled in the game in Paris, almost single-handedly earning Arsenal a crucial point that keeps them in contention to top the group. In the two games after that, at home to FC Basel and Ludogorets, Ospina has kept two clean sheets. Yes he hasn’t been tested two much in those games, but last night his super-fast reactions helped Arsenal weather a storm at a crucial point in the game.

If you didn’t watch the game last night, you might be a tad surprised to see praise for Ospina, 6-0… surely he had nothing to do and it was an easy night for the Arsenal back 5? Wrong. Ludogorets actually had more posssession (!) and at 1-0 to Arsenal, the away side threatened on numerous occasions and if it wasn’t for alert goalkeeping from David ‘the cat’ Ospina, the Gunners may have lost their lead, or even fallen behind. We know only too well how a little mistake and being pegged back can then escalate into disaster as nerves spread around The Emirates and create a somewhat poisonous atmosphere. It can be hard for a keeper to remain alert when he’s not often busy, but Ospina was always alert when required, nicking the ball away from the pacey Ludogorets forwards on a couple of occasions. Fans noted that a slower keeper, maybe even Cech, would not have got to the ball in time, and given away a penalty and perhaps a red card, Cech has done this against Hull City already this season.

Here’s what some Arsenal fans are saying on Twitter, with many suggesting that Ospina, if he isn’t already, is close to overtaking Cech on form.

I’d agree with them that on form David is better. However with the Colombian you always have an element of nerves, as he can be very unpredictable between the sticks, and you are always nerves about him making catches or claiming crosses. He will need to continue playing at this level for a while yet before I would say he deserves to start ahead of Cech.

Are you an Arsenal fan? We want to know what you think! Tweet us who you think deserves to start @FreshFootball

3 Players You Need To Put In Your Fantasy Football Team This Week: Ft. Arsenal & Chelsea Stars

Patrick Ribeiro October 13, 2016

With the England international scene in a bit of a sorry state, the Premier League returns in good time to hog our attention span. Spoiling us with big match-ups, such as Manchester City versus Everton, Crystal Palace’s London derby against West Ham United and the eagerly-anticipated Liverpool – Manchester United clash on Monday night, Fresh Football will also be on the scene to point you in the right direction with regards to your Fantasy Premier League choices. Here are our three hotpicks:

1 - Laurent Koscielny

Club: Arsenal
Position: Defender
Price: £6.2m

Arsenal’s backline appears to be in good nick, so much so that the newly-formed duo of Laurent Koscielny and Shkodran Mustafi have conceded just once in their last four games together. On their way to the Emirates Stadium this weekend are Swansea City, who, in Bobby Bradley’s debut as the Swans’ manager, may be more concerned with thwarting the in-form Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott than anything else.

A more committed approach to defending from the visitors is sure to improve the odds of another clean sheet for Arsenal, who will have to keep an eye open for the aerial threat conveyed by Fernando Llorente, Borja Baston and Leroy Fer, among others. In the meantime, Koscielny could also arise as a goal scoring threat at the other end when the opportunity presents itself.

Debate: Szczesny vs. Ospina - Is Wenger Right To Offload The Pole?

Josh Challies July 22, 2015

Goalkeeper changes are imminent in North London, with reports suggesting Wojciech Szczesny is closing in on a move to Roma- but is it the right call?

Arsenal’s purchase of Petr Cech from Premier League rivals Chelsea set a lot of things in motion. For starters, the Gunners had finally added a top-name between the sticks for the first-time since Jens Lehmann’s days in North London.

Perhaps more importantly though is what it means for outgoing business, as one of David Ospina or Wojciech Szczesny will be leaving the club this summer. Initially it was thought Ospina would make way, moving to Fenerbahce, but now Szczesny is heavily-linked with a move to Roma.

Whilst the links are unsurprising, the manner of the situation has raised some eyebrows. Since Cech’s arrival, Szczesny was considered to be the number two- whilst Ospina was seemingly out of the equation. Those assumptions seemed to be correct with the aforementioned Fenerbahce links- but suddenly, the situation has changed.

Szczesny v Ospina

Szczesny, a home-grown player at Arsenal, went on the pre-season tour to Singapore and was expected to feature in the Emirates Cup this weekend. Obviously, that’s now under scrutiny- but the question here is, have Arsenal made the right call?

It’s worth beginning with the fact that Szczesny is 25, whilst Ospina is slightly older at 26, but Szczesny has more Premier League experience. Despite a disappointing campaign for him last term in the league, the prior season he shared the Golden Glove with a certain Petr Cech.

Szczesny also knows the club better, having joined in 2009- making his Premier League debut in December 2010 and retaining the first-team jersey ever since. That’s five years Arsenal have stuck by him- is the sudden change harsh? Or has he had his chance?

Comparing the two players last season is quite simple enough, with Ospina having made one more Premier League appearance than the Pole. He kept eight clean sheets, conceded just 11 goals and made 35 saves altogether, all of which were superior to Szczesny’s efforts.

In fact, that’s better than Szczesny has done in the past three seasons. Whilst in 2013/14 and 2012/13 Szczesny made more appearances, had Ospina equalled the number of Premier League games it’s likely the Colombian still would have bettered his counter-part.

Szczesny v Ospina 2

The most damning stat for Szczesny is that in his last three seasons, he’s statistically conceded a goal for every two saves he makes- not the sort of commanding presence you want from a top-four goalkeeper.

Looking at the stats then, there is no evidence that Szczesny should remain at Arsenal ahead of Ospina, although to be fair to Arsenal’s long-serving stopper it is worth pointing out the defence he played behind in the two seasons prior to Ospina’s arrival was far weaker.

Still, he didn’t perform ahead of a talented defence last season and there’s every suggestion he wouldn’t be capable of doing better in the next campaign. Roma beckons- and it’s going to be difficult for any Arsenal fan to argue that it isn’t the right move.

Just expect an imminent statement from Szczesny’s father in the press slamming Arsenal’s treatment of his son. After all, it’s a trend Szczesny senior has stuck to ferociously.

Arsenal Fans Go Pun Crazy Ahead Of Imminent Signing

Josh Challies June 19, 2015

If you haven’t heard by now, it appears that Chelsea legend Petr Cech will leave the Blues to join North London rivals Arsenal- with some media stating it could be completed as early as this weekend.

As Blues fans feel Blue about the situation, Arsenal fans are enjoying a joyous occasion- with some claiming this is the perfect revenge to former Gunners captain Cesc Fabregas joining Chelsea last summer.

Whilst nothing is official just yet, Arsenal fans are extremely confident- and have started to take over Twitter with their new signing campaign, which is shrouded with hilarious puns- or terrible depending on your stance.

The name Petr Cech does well for rhyming and verses, which certainly helps, but you have to applaud the creativity behind these…

‘Doesn’t Make Sense’: Fans Struggle To Get Their Heads Around Transfer News

Josh Challies November 20, 2014

Arsenal and Chelsea fans are perplexed by rumours stating that the Gunners have agreed a deal in principal to bring the 32-year-old shot-stopper to North London.

Cech is set to exit the club he has served for 10 years after Thibaut Courtois claimed the number one jersey at Stamford Bridge but a move to Arsenal has raised many eyebrows. Considering Jose Mourinho wouldn’t loan Demba Ba to the Gunners, it seems rather bizarre that he would allow a world-class keeper of Cech’s stature to move to his London rivals.

Chelsea fans will be furious if this happens, whilst Arsenal supporters are questioning the need for another goalkeeper after signing Colombian number one David Ospina after the World Cup. We’ll shelve this rumour in the unlikely category for now.