Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech ended a highly successful 11-year spell at English champions Chelsea when he moved to Premier League rivals Arsenal on Monday.
Cech, who made more than 400 appearances at Stamford Bridge and won the Champions League and four Premier League titles, joins Arsenal on a long-term contract for a fee British media reported to be worth around £11 million (US$17.31 million).
“I’m really excited about joining Arsenal and can’t wait to join up for pre-season,” Cech, 33, told the club’s Web site.
Photo: AP
“I have the same commitment to football, the same motivation and the same hunger for success as I had at the beginning of my career,” he said. “When [Arsenal manager] Arsene Wenger spoke to me about his ambitions for this club and how he saw me as part of this team, the decision was clear.”
One of Cech’s first games for Arsenal will be against Chelsea at Wembley on Aug. 2 in the traditional match between the FA Cup winners and Premier League champions.
Before that, his new club play in the four-team Asia Trophy in Singapore next month and then host the Emirates Cup against Olympique Lyonnais, Villarreal and VfL Wolfsburg.
Chelsea were reluctant to sell the Czech, but accepted that he did not want to spend another campaign as deputy to Thibaut Courtois, who is 10 years younger.
Belgian international Courtois became manager Jose Mourinho’s first choice last season after returning from three years on loan at Atletico Madrid.
Cech moved to Stamford Bridge from Stade Rennes in 2004, but made only six appearances in last season’s league triumph.
His other major honors included the Champions League in 2012, when he saved a penalty in the final against Bayern Munich and two more spot-kicks in the shootout, the 2013 Europa League, four FA Cup wins and three League Cups.
“Petr Cech is a player that I have admired for a long time and I am very pleased that he has decided to join us,” Wenger said. “He has proven over many seasons that he is one of the outstanding ’keepers in the world and he will add great strength to our squad.”
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Marcus Rashford’s first goals for Aston Villa on Sunday inspired a 3-0 win against Preston North End that sent his side into the FA Cup semi-finals for the first time in 10 years. Rashford struck twice in the second half at Deepdale to end Preston’s stubborn resistance before Jacob Ramsey wrapped up Villa’s long-awaited return to the last four. Villa are to face Crystal Palace — 3-0 winners at Fulham on Saturday — in the semi-finals at Wembley Stadium in London. Revitalized since joining Villa on loan from Manchester United during the January transfer window, Rashford is beginning to show the form that