I’m confident we’ll be winning trophies with Arsenal

To whom do you mostly owe the execution of your transfer?
Obviously my agency Sport Invest as well as both teams involved. Chelsea maintained utter professionalism and made room for negotiations which eventually led to the transfer despite the fact that my contract wouldn’t have expired for another year.
When did you first make contact with Arsenal?
It all happened pretty fast once we started dealing with the matter towards the end of the season. I have to thank Roman Abramovic for this who was ultimately the one to allow me to leave. When I met him I told him my reasons for leaving, and he was very understanding, though he probably wasn’t exactly happy.
Were there any other offers?
There was a couple, but Arsenal was able to make the best offer the moment they stepped in. And I’m not talking about money now. The manager really wanted me in and the club proposed a very clear vision which I could identify with. It’s this project regarding what they’d like to achieve in the next couple of years. Also, I wanted to continue playing the Premier League, the best competition in the world.
What are you going to miss the most about Chelsea?
Only time will show. You obviously can’t simple forget eleven amazing years, but right now I’m looking forward to a whole new chapter of my career and new challenges. I had a lot of success with Chelsea and I’m hoping to achieve the same with Arsenal. Including the title. I’m pretty hopeful. Playing for Arsenal will be new and exciting and I can’t wait for the season to start.
For you it will start with a Community Shield match which should be twice as intriguing for you considering the fact that it is the Premier League winners Chelsea that Arsenal will face as FA Cup winners on 1 August at Wembley.
I’m really excited. It’ll be so odd playing the very first game against a team where you spent unbelievable eleven years. Especially a couple of weeks after finishing the season for them. But it will be the first opportunity to seize a trophy for the team and I can’t wait. Perhaps it’s even a good thing that we’ll get the Blues out of the way and I’ll be able to focus on other games.
Was leaving Chelsea among the most difficult decisions of your career?
The most difficult of all. I had planned to finish my career at Chelsea, but I figured a transfer would make the most sense for me as a professional. I had stopped to be featured regularly and I found myself in a totally new situation. I continued working hard and made it count whenever I got the chance to play again, but I’m looking to play as much as possible and I’ll happily fight for that at Arsenal, though obviously nothing’s for free there either. I think I made the right choice. I hope the end of my career is not quite on the doorstep yet, I don’t want to be benched.
Did you manage to say goodbye to your Chelsea teammates?
I messaged all the guys and was really touched by their responses - they were incredible. I’d like to thank everyone at Chelsea as well as all the fans for an amazing eleven years. Thanks to their reaction I came to realise that I had somehow managed to become part of the team’s history. I was really pleased with my new teammates and fans at Arsenal, too, of course.
How was manager Mourinho’s reaction? He wanted you to stay…
We talked it through. He had to make an executive decision and pick a number one goalkeeper. I also had to make some sort of a decision and so I picked a new team. It doesn’t change anything about our relationship, our cooperation led to some fantastic results. I was extremely grateful for getting to be a part of one of the best teams of the world, under one of the very best managers. Now our ways have parted, we’re going to be opponents. He’s not too happy about it, didn’t want me to go. But that doesn’t change anything about how we get along.
How will the transfer affect your life?

I’m going to have to move, in order to live closer to the Arsenal training centre. It’s quite far away from the place we live now.

When are you flying to London?
Right now I have my duties at my Football School in Prague and we’re starting the prep next week. I’ll have a few training sessions in London and then we’ll be off to Singapore for a tournament.