Cech’s retirement shocks Iwobi

Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi has expressed surprise with teammate Petr Cech’s decision to retire at the end of the 2018-19 campaign because he thinks the goalkeeper can still play for ‘another three or four years’.

“I was [surprised] because he always looks good in training and every time he plays in a match,” Iwobi told SkySports News.

“When he announced he was retiring I was like ‘wow, you could have another three or four years the way that you’re playing’. But we have to respect his decision and we’ll have to do our best to make sure he ends his career on a high.”

Cech confirmed on Tuesday that it is the right time to hang up his gloves after an illustrious career in England where he won four Premier League titles, five FA Cups, a Champions League trophy amongst other individual honours.

Bernd Leno’s arrival in the summer has limited the Czech international to a substitute role in recent weeks but Iwobi feels the 36-year-old is still in top form to carry on.

Iwobi and his teammates welcome London rivals Chelsea to the Emirates Stadium today for a crunch tie as they look to revive their top four hopes with a win.