Former Manchester United star Paul Scholes has advised his old club to make a raid on Premier League rivals Chelsea this summer for the signing of goalkeeper Petr Cech.
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The Red Devils may be in need of a new signing in that position given the constant speculation suggesting David de Gea wants to quit Old Trafford, with the Daily Star reporting earlier this week that the Spanish international is keen on a move to the Bernabeu – even if it meant accepting a lower contract offer.
Given de Gea’s tremendous form for United this season, his departure would certainly be a big blow and surely lead to calls for a big-name replacement to come in. Scholes suggests in his column for the Independent that this could pave the way for a move for Cech.
The former England international believes the Czech Republic international could still have years of great form ahead of him, despite being 33, pointing out similarities to when the club signed Edwin van der Sar from Fulham back in 2005.
“If De Gea does go, United should sign Petr Cech,” Scholes said.
“I remember the effect Edwin van der Sar had on the club when he arrived in 2005. United had struggled since Peter Schmeichel to find a really commanding goalkeeper. Fabien Barthez was the closest we got. Edwin came ready-made. He was a Champions League winner, he had four years’ Premier League experience with Fulham, and in the end our manager got six extremely successful years out of him.
“Edwin was almost 35 when he joined United. Cech has only just turned 33. He could potentially play another six years for United. There would be no concern about having to give him time to play his way into the position or the demands that the Premier League makes of a goalkeeper new to the country.”
There’s no question Cech has the potential to be one of the signings of the summer for whoever gets him, with the long-serving Blues star somewhat unfortunate to be behind the excellent Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
With Cech putting in so many years of great service for Chelsea, winning four Premier League titles and the Champions League among many other honours, the former Rennes man will not have any trouble dealing with the pressure of playing for another big club like United, and it may be that Louis van Gaal would be hard pushed to find a more suitable shot-stopper to fill the void left by de Gea if he does leave.
However, with Arsenal also reportedly interested in signing Cech this summer (according to the Daily Mail), it may be easier said than done for United to win the race for his signature.