Arsenal’s latest acquisition Petr Cech has revealed that he had a chance to sign for the Gunners when he was still a teenager, but the lack of a work permit scuppered the deal, adding that he is ready to “write a new story” in his career.
Cech has completed a long speculated move from Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium and he is likely to be manager Arsene Wenger’s first choice custodian in the Gunners’ goal when the Premier League kicks off in August.
The Czech Republic international was at Stamford Bridge from 2004 and was crowned a four-time league champion as well as 2012 European champions with the Blues.
The veteran goalkeeper has revealed that he could have been a Gunner far earlier, but his move was foiled by a lack of a work permit that ultimately saw him sign for French side Rennes.
“There was a chance before I went to France [to join Rennes] that I could sign for Arsenal but I was only 18 or 19 and at that time Czech Republic were not in the European Union”, he told Arsenal Player.
relatedNewsStory
“You needed a work permit and the conditions were to play 75 per cent of the first-team games for the national team, which at the time was impossible for me to get.
“In the end I went to France because I couldn’t get a work permit.”
However, Cech is eager to write a new chapter in his career during the course of his spell at Arsenal.
“If I could have got the permission, maybe my story would have been a completely different story but here we are 10 or more years later, and now we can write the story again.”
Don't bet on football until you've visited Inside Bet! Interesting markets, top tips, betting facts – get all the info before you bet.
