Arsenal legend David Seaman backs Petr Cech to rise to Bernd Leno No.1 challenge

David Seaman believes Petr Cech still has the qualities to be Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper despite the challenge posed by the signing of Bernd Leno this summer.

Leno joined the Gunners from Bayer Leverkusen in a £22million switch last month and is expected to start the season as Unai Emery’s No.1 keeper, though competition between the German and Cech is likely to be fierce.

Cech, who has been linked with a surprise return to Chelsea, has perhaps never hit the heights he reached in west London since joining the Gunners in 2015, but has been a consistent presence at Arsenal.

Seaman, who won three league titles over 13 years at Arsenal, is convinced the 36-year-old No.1 can still win the battle to be Emery’s first-choice.

“He has still got great qualities and it isn't like he has had a bad season or anything, he still produced,” Seaman said.

“Obviously he is getting older but your game adapts, that is what I found, you might not be as sharp as what you used to be but your experience gets you into the right positions.”

Should Cech stay it appears inevitable that David Ospina - who had grown dissatisfied with his role as backup over the past three seasons - will leave the club, with Besiktas understood to be keen on a deal for the Colombian international.

Seaman expects Ospina to move on, with homegrown prospect Matt Macey a likely alternative to Cech and Leno.

“I don't think Ospina would be quite happy being a number two because he has been that for quite a while.

“He might even be a number three so I would imagine David wants to play football, you can't spend a big chunk of your career being a reserve - you have got to go out there and see how good you are.

“You would think, they'd develop [Matt Macey] to take that number three slot but we don't know what is going to happen yet, nothing has been said.

“What is interesting is that Cech has taken the number-one jersey so I think he is expecting to be around for a while.”

Leno will be the subject of heightened attention in his early weeks at Arsenal, with the Gunners having not yet found more than medium-term options - with the possible exception of Jens Lehmann - since Seaman’s departure in 2003.

The 26-year-old made his first appearance in an Arsenal match in a 9-0 behind-closed-doors friendly win against a Crawley Town XI on Tuesday, but will face more severe tests when the Gunners’ Premier League campaign begins against Manchester City on August 12.

“I'm still waiting to see him play and then I will make a judgement but you can only tell once they start playing in the Premier League,” Seaman added.

“It is a totally different pace and physicality, you look at David De Gea when he first came here he had big problems when he didn't realise how physical it was in the Premier League but he adapted to that and really kicked on.

“With Leno, we have to wait and see what happens - if he is number one, we don't even know who is going to be number one yet.”

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