Another Chelsea legend who Arsenal missed out on is Petr Cech. However, this time the matters were partly out of the clubs hands. It was in 2002 that the North London side were looking at the goalkeeper, who was impressing for Sparta Prague. During his time there Cech went a staggering 903 minutes without conceding, drawing interest from Europes top clubs. Arsenal had agreed a fee and terms, but work permit issues were stalling the deal. Cech also claimed that the Gunners chief scout did not think he was good enough for the Premier League, another potential stumbling block. The deal fell through and Cech moved to Rennes, before heading to Chelsea two years later.
Simon is an NCTJ qualified sports journalist. He has conducted interviews with Tony Adams and Peter Shilton, while also having work published in The Daily Telegraph and The Sun. Follow him on Twitter via @sr_collings.
