Petr Cech to Arsenal: Gunners set to gain revenge for Cesc Fabregas joining Chelsea but will the goalkeeper have the same effect?

Arsenal are closing in on landing Cech for £11m after agreeing personal terms

Cesc Fabregas and Petr Cech (Getty Images)

Arsenal fans are getting awfully excited by the prospect of Petr Cech joining the club from London rivals Chelsea, and so they should.

Last summer, the Gunners had to endure taunts from their Premier League rivals as they won the race to sign Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona, the man who learnt his trade under Arsene Wenger, was handed the captain’s armband and became one of the Gunners’ star players before returning to his hometown club in 2011.

Fabregas transformed the Blues from title contenders to title favourites, and the £30m move to bring the Spain international to Stamford Bridge was justified when they lifted the Premier League trophy in May.

But with Cech set to complete a move to Arsenal in the coming days, have the tables turned? Arsenal finished the 2014/15 season finished 13 points behind the champions, and Chelsea captain John Terry believes Cech could be worth as many as 15 points extra over the course of a season should he remain fit.

Then take into account the transfer fee. With Manchester United demanding £35m for David De Gea – or a swap deal for Sergio Ramos – and Tottenham seeking a similar, if not large sum if they are to let Hugo Lloris leave, £11m for an elite and proven Premier League goalkeeper has to go down as a steal in the current transfer market. Cech has proven his calibre over 11 seasons at Chelsea, and also demonstrated a tremendous character to return to his best following the serious head injury he suffered in 2006 in a sickening collision with then Reading player Stephen Hunt.

Some will argue that at 33 years old, Cech’s best days are behind him. But a good example of this could very well be wrong is the former United and Netherlands goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar, who moved to Old Trafford from Fulham at the ripe old age of 34 and went on to secure four Premier League title, a Champions League crown and the Fifa Club World Cup. With Cech a year younger, Arsenal have reason to be quietly optimistic that Cech can remain at the top of his game for the next four or five years.

Cech alongside Terry and Didier Drogba (Getty Images)

But the real question lies in whether Arsenal will be favourites for the title simply down to Cech and the other recruits that they bring in this season. We may find out that answer sooner than expect, given Cech’s Arsenal debut – should he complete his transfer – will be against Chelsea in the Community Shield.