Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech has insisted he is staying at the Emirates despite being linked with an exit to Napoli this summer.
The 36-year-old shot-stopper, who stands at 6’4″ (source: Transfermarkt) is insisting he is staying with the Gunners to fight for his place as the number one, despite boss Unai Emery signing Bernd Leno from Bayer Leverkusen.
The former Czech international has pledged to Arsenal fans that he is staying to battle it out for a role with the German keeper, confirming that Serie A side Napoli were interested in signing him, where he would have been reunited with former boss Carlo Ancelotti.
He is quoted by Calcio Mercato as saying: “Napoli were interested in me, but my future is at Arsenal and I do not think about changing clubs. I still have a year of my contract with Arsenal, the only thing I want to think about is fighting for a starting position.”
OPINION
The news that Petr Cech is insistent to stay at the Emirates may leave some of the Gunners faithful delighted. The former Chelsea stopper established himself as a firm fan favourite in North London, and has been a reliable option between the sticks under ex-manager Arsene Wenger. Arsenal have never been lucky in the goalkeeping department before Cech arrived in 2015, and he has been a steady figure throughout the last few seasons. Napoli would have been fortunate to land the world-class keeper and he may have thrived in his final playing years under Ancelotti, but he deserves the chance to challenge Leno for the number one spot. It remains to be seen whether Emery will let Cech play for the first team – he is 36 after all, whereas Leno is 26 – especially as he wants to achieve a top-four finish. Nevertheless, Emery would be mad to let a player of Cech’s calibre slip from his clutches.