Wenger made Cech on Petr
Arsene Wenger has confessed he tried to sign Petr Cech.
Arsene Wenger has confessed that only the work permit rules stopped him signing Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech when he was at Sparta Prague.Arsenal's current goalkeepers Jens Lehmann and Manuel Almunia have both been criticised this season, whilst Cech has been a revelation for The Blues.
Wenger admitted that he would have landed Cech much earlier in his career, but for Cech's lack of international experience at that point.
"We wanted to take him before he went to Rennes but we could not get a work permit," Wenger told the Evening Standard.
"At the time he had not played the necessary amount of games for his national team.
"Yes, we missed out - but these things happen. He is not the only player we have missed out on. And when he moved to France we still had David Seaman and we had Jens Lehmann.
"But Cech is doing well and he is developing well. He has what you need to play in England. He has the size and that is vital.
"People don't realise how important that is. You get offered a goalkeeper of six feet-plus who is doing well in a Latin country.
"He comes here and he gets slaughtered. Therefore I feel Cech has the ingredients you need to be successful in England.
"Then last year, Chelsea did well. They bought him very early."
