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Former Arsenal keeper Jens Lehmann says Petr Cech will need time to adapt to life at Arsenal, having served for so long at London rivals Chelsea. Cech was on the books at Chelsea for a vastly successful 11 years, and Lehmann says he must now forget those ties as difficult as it may be. Speaking of 11 years, that is how long it has been since Arsenal last won a trophy, and Lehmann says the signing of Cech could help put an end to that.
As reported by ESPN FC, Lehmann said it is quite surprising it has been so long since Arsenal lifted the Premier League crown, and says Cech was the perfect signing the club could have made.
“Petr has maybe five fantastic years still ahead of him, as long as he doesn’t get injured, so for me this is the best deal Arsenal could possibly have done this summer.”
He insists though, that it won’t be easy to cut his emotional ties with Chelsea.
“It’s not easy to suddenly go from Chelsea, where he has been for almost his whole career winning many trophies, to the other side of the capital for a rival.”
“Before you can have it in your heart to win titles again, you have to get rid of the love you had before.”
“At Chelsea, for Petr, it was his passion and he showed great commitment — and was probably in love with them — but, as a professional, he must get over it and needs to know that Arsenal want him to win things again for them.”
Lehmann knows a thing or two about switching between rival clubs, having adapted to life at Dortmund after a long stint with Schalke. He says that while it is not difficult to adapt to new teammates on the field, changing your mentality is always difficult and can take quite a while.
“Let me tell you, that is not an easy thing to get over psychologically … it can take a few weeks, even a few months.”
“I don’t think it’ll take him time to get used to playing with a new set of defenders,” he said. “Petr had one big advantage over Thibaut. Although he, too, is a fantastic keeper, he does not interact much with his teammates — whereas Petr does.”
He concluded by saying that Cech’s experience and know how will benefit the entire team and not just the back line, and says Arsenal will reap the benefits of having a veteran between the sticks.
What do you think gooners? Will Cech find it difficult getting used to Arsenal life? Be sure to leave a comment and also enter the sweepstakes for your chance to win a signed 15/16 Arsenal shirt.
