ARSENE NEEDED A PETR CHECK

WHEN Chelsea made it clear they would do the unthinkable and allow Petr Cech to move across London to bitter rivals Arsenal last summer, Arsene Wenger initially held back. For most managers, the option to sign the man who now holds the Barclays Premier League record for clean sheets would be a no-brainer. But Wenger was unsure. He questioned whether a 33-year-old goalkeeper who had spent a year on the bench could still cut it at the top level. Eventually, the Arsenal boss sanctioned an £11million move. He’s now delighted that he did.

Cech swapped west London for north and brought with him years of expertise as well as, seemingly, all of Chelsea’s good fortune.

Tomorrow he can heap misery on his former club when they visit his new home, as the Czech keeper continues to show Wenger just what he bought him for.

‘I didn’t know what kind of shape he was in physically because he hadn’t played,’ said Wenger. ‘But when I met him I was quickly reassured of his desire to do well and his motivation. I didn’t know how much he could still produce physically. He hadn’t played and was battling a drop in physical aptitude.

‘It was a very, very difficult decision,’ added Wenger. Gunners fans are delighted he went for it. Cech has the most clean sheets in the top flight this season and has made the second-most saves.

Cech will be warmly greeted by the visitors at the Emirates tomorrow. He remains popular with the Chelsea players, who sent messages of congratulation when he broke David James’ record last month, as well as the supporters.

There was a reunion with Guus Hiddink this week when Cech had to pop back to Chelsea’s Cobham base to pick up new gloves after sponsors adidas mistakenly delivered his gear to an old address.

‘He knew the gloves were here and we tried to hide them,’ joked Hiddink. ‘We also tried to make them a little bit slippery. He’s a very good professional and on top of that he’s performing.’

Meanwhile, Chelsea have rewarded Branislav Ivanovic with a one-year deal until the summer of 2017.