THEO SIGNS £140k-A-WEEK DEAL
Revealed: how Arsenal lured Cech from Chelsea and why he is out to defeat Mourinho
THEO WALCOTT’S new Arsenal contract is worth a staggering £140,000 a week. The deal puts the England international on the same pay grade as the club’s top earners Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. It also suggests that Walcott, 26, who made only four starts last season, can expect to be far more involved in Arsene Wenger’s plans this campaign. Walcott had only a year left of his £90,000-a-week deal and he and Arsenal wanted to get talks tied up before the start of the Premier League season. And in a further boost to the Gunners ahead of tomorrow’s Community Shield meeting with Chelsea at Wembley, key midfielder Santi Cazorla has also agreed a new two-year deal. Atletico Madrid have shown a keen interest in the Spaniard this summer. Arsenal will now focus their attentions on tying left back Nacho Monreal to an extension. His deal expires in the summer of 2017. Manager Arsene Wenger said: ‘We’re delighted to have extended the contracts of Santi and Theo. Both are top quality players who are hugely important and influential to our squad. ‘As well as their huge contributions on the pitch, they both have a great deal of experience and are very popular off the pitch. ‘We’re very pleased with them both signing contract extensions, as it provides our squad with further stability of quality.’
IN the end, it was a case of third time lucky for Arsene Wenger and Petr Cech. The Arsenal manager first tried to lure a young Cech from Rennes before he signed for Chelsea in 2004.
Then, in 2013 when Arsenal believed Thibaut Courtois was heading back to Stamford Bridge to become Chelsea’s No 1, they made enquiries again.
This time, Wenger sealed the deal — and Jose Mourinho was powerless to prevent it. Chelsea knew, as early as February, that Cech was unlikely to extend a stay at the club that spanned 11 years and brought him 13 major trophies.
The Czech Republic goalkeeper had been dislodged by Courtois and although he took the decision in an impeccable manner, he didn’t want to spend another season on the bench.
The Gunners’ interest in Cech wasn’t a surprise at Stamford Bridge, but when Arsenal made an official enquiry at the end of April, Mourinho knew a problem was brewing. Despite publicly insisting he wanted Cech to stay, the Chelsea manager knew the keeper was on his way. His aim, though, was to prevent Cech from joining Arsenal. Wenger knew this and was initially sceptical — more sceptical than usual — about landing his man.
But, in what was essentially the key factor behind Cech’s move across London, Mourinho found out that owner Roman Abramovich and himself were not reading from the same hymn sheet.
While the Portuguese manager was keen for Cech to move abroad so not to strengthen a Premier League rival, Abramovich was not so staunch. The Russian oligarch showed his softer side, believing Cech should be able to choose his next destination after so many seasons of great service.
Still, however, there were no guarantees Cech would choose Arsenal. Paris Saint- Germain had made an enquiry worth a lot more than the £100,000-a-week Wenger could offer.
Chelsea were also wary of interest from Manchester United with David de Gea’s future unclear.
But a few days after the end of the season and Cech’s emotional farewell to Stamford Bridge against Sunderland, two meetings swayed the deal in Arsenal’s favour.
The first was with Abramovich. Cech was confident the Chelsea owner would let him leave for the club of his choice, but he was keen for Abramovich’s formal blessing.
He got it during a heart-to-heart meeting and then moved on to Wenger. That was the clincher. One conversation with Wenger and Cech was hooked. It has been suggested that Cech’s decision to sign for Arsenal was so he would not have to uproot his family. There is some truth in that. But ask Cech the real reason, he could answer it in a single word: Wenger.
Negotiations were painless, despite the lure of more money in Paris and his fluent French meaning a smooth transition into Parisian life. All that was left for Cech was to make one more phone call — to Mourinho.
But this wasn’t a call asking for Mourinho’s permission. It was a professional courtesy to the man who has had such an impact on his career, to tell him he was leaving for Arsenal.
By this point, Mourinho was powerless. The deal he preferred not to happen was virtually complete. He had been bypassed; Cech went straight to the top.
Mourinho said yesterday: ‘I shouldn’t speak about it. It’s done. It’s explained. We know why the club agreed. We know that in the first phase I completely disagreed. We know that later on I understood the reasons behind the decision and I changed my position. So nothing more to say about it.’
Speak to those at Arsenal and you will hear that Cech, 33, was worth the wait. On the training pitch he has already impressed. One source said: ‘He’s obsessed with clean sheets.’
His excellence at the club’s London Colney HQ comes as no surprise, though. It’s par for the course for a player who is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet. But it is his manner off the pitch that has really left its mark at the Emirates. He has made a point of remembering every member of staff’s name — from the manager to the receptionist. It has been noted by Wenger too. The manager has been so enthused by his chances of glory this season that he has barely spent a day away from the training ground.
Another source said: ‘Petr is all about what he can do for the club, not the other way around.’
Cech was of course disappointed not to have played much last season. But in private he admits that the rest will have long-term benefits on his battered body. He feels it will extend his career.
Of course memories of the past are never far away, particularly
tomorrow’s Community Shield as he prepares to face Chelsea for the first time since leaving.
The heartfelt letter to Chelsea fans that accompanied Cech’s departure was all his idea — not the product of the keeper’s PR machine.
Similarly, Cech made a conscious decision not to speak ahead of the Wembley clash out of respect for his former employers. But just after he sealed his move, he told us in Prague: ‘It will be an unknown feeling for me to play against Chelsea. Once I am on the pitch there is no other option — I want to win.
‘The only concern I have is whether I can win the game for
GETTY IMAGES Arsenal. That’s the way it goes and obviously I have a huge connection with Chelsea football club from the 11 years I spent with the club. But for those 90 minutes or 120 minutes — however long it takes to play the game — there are no friends.’