Arsene Wenger has revealed that he wanted to sign Petr Cech for Arsenal before the goalkeeper joined Chelsea in 2004.
The Czech international completed the move across London to join the Gunners earlier this summer, ending an 11-year spell at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of this weekend's Community Shield match, the manager said: "It's the first time since he was at Chelsea, before he went to Chelsea we were interested.
"The guy who brought him to Chelsea is a good friend of mine, and he told me he was an exceptional keeper at Rennes, before he went to Chelsea. I think Chelsea were a bit quicker than us at that stage.
"There was [a work permit issue] yes, he was very young when he went to Rennes, and one of my assistants, his son was a player in Rennes, and he said that they had a very good goalkeeper, so we knew."
Cech will face his old club when Arsenal take on Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday.
Sian Cowper
