Mertesacker: Arsenal are much stronger with Cech
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Per Mertesacker believes the addition of Petr Cech has given confidence to Arsenal's defence as they look to become English champions for the first time since 2004. The 33-year-old goalkeeper moved across London last month from Chelsea, where he won four Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League in 11 successful seasons.
"From day one, we felt his presence," Mertesacker said of Cech. "He is the type who communicates well on and off the pitch and he speaks several different languages.
"I think that he can add that extra that maybe we are missing. We are very happy with him, because he has a good feeling as well about joining us and contributing to our team. We already had a good structure but with him, we feel we are much stronger."
Arsenal are gearing up for the new season by competing this week at the Asia Trophy in Singapore. They face a Singapore Select XI on Wednesday in their opening match.
While Arsene Wenger felt that he already had two good keepers in his squad in David Ospina and Wojciech Szczesny, the Frenchman admitted he could not turn down the opportunity to sign somebody of Cech's quality.
"We could add [Cech's] experience, strength and belief to our squad, and I also believe that we can continue to develop our goalkeepers who are still young, and therefore I made the decision," the Arsenal manager explained.
Wenger believes the tournament in Singapore is important for testing the team pre-season. "It is also a good opportunity for me to give a chance to some players who are on the fringe of the team and to see how close they are to contributing, and this will help to influence my decision before the transfer market is over," he said.