--- title: "Flamini: Mourinho has done us a favour" canonical: "https://readarsenal.com/2015/07/30/flamini-mourinho-has-done-us-a-favour/" type: "post" language: "en-GB" author: "Adam Hamdani" section: "Arsenal News" published: "2015-07-30T10:22:36Z" modified: "2015-07-30T10:22:36Z" --- # Flamini: Mourinho has done us a favour Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini has taken aim at Jose Mourinho, claiming that the Chelsea manager has *“done Arsenal a favour”* with the sale of Petr Cech to the north London side. Cech[joined Arsenal](https://readarsenal.com/2015/06/29/arsenal-announce-cech-signing/) this summer for a fee of roughly £11m, after playing a whopping 485 times for Chelsea, becoming the most capped foreign player in the history of the club – but the Czech Republic international fell well out of favour last season, with the emergence of 23-year-old Thibaut Courtois effectively ending the Chelsea career of the Premier League legend. Mourinho stated on a number of occasions that if it were down to him, he would not have sold the keeper to Arsenal if it was his choice. Speaking in May, the former Real Madrid boss said: *“If it’s in my hands he would never go, would never go to big clubs with fantastic teams. Big candidates to win the Premier League. I would never let him go.* *“But it’s not in my hands. My perfect scenario is that he stays with us, I think he belongs to this club, this club belongs to his history and to his life, too.”* Shortly after that, Cech did indeed join the Gunners and Frenchman Mathieu Flamini has[admitted his surprise](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/arsenal/11770383/Petr-Cech-sale-to-Arsenal-was-out-of-character-for-Jose-Mourinho-says-Mathieu-Flamini.html) at the deal: *“I was surprised by Mourinho because he really doesn’t do that,” said Flamini. “He’s a competitor and usually doesn’t like to sell any players to his rivals. But it’s a good favour for us and now we have to take advantage.* *“It’s a top signing. That’s why we have been lucky on this one.* *“It’s very important. Not only for his quality but also for his character. When you play at the top level, the leaders on the pitch make the difference. Not only when things go well but especially when things go bad.* [![David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images](https://readeverything.co/readarsenal/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/482249056-petr-cech-of-arsenal-during-the-1st-team-gettyimages.jpg)](https://readeverything.co/readarsenal/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/482249056-petr-cech-of-arsenal-during-the-1st-team-gettyimages.jpg) *“So, for us, Petr Cech is a top signing. He is someone with character, someone with a winning mentality.”* Flamini, formerly of AC Milan, then went on to discuss the competitive nature of the Premier League and believes that a number of teams have a chance of glory in the upcoming campaign: *“Chelsea have given us a lot of pain over the years.* *“They deserved to win it last year. It’s very open. Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and City are the best teams in the Premier League. I think it will be the same teams competing.* *“For 10 years Arsenal didn’t win anything and we have won the FA Cup twice and it’s starting to become in the mentality. Winning is very important. That’s the first point.* *“Then also, we have attracted a lot of quality to the team with some very big signings. We have kept the same group. Nobody left, and that’s very important because when you keep your key players, keep the same group, year after year, players get used to playing together.* *“If you remember before, there were always a few players leaving and now he is keeping the players together and that’s very important.* *“I can feel Arsenal now is different to the club I left in 2008. I don’t think any of the key players left in the last two years. It’s a great example. And each year we have added quality players like Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech. These are players who can make the difference at any moment. So I think we have a very good chance.”* Arsenal take on Chelsea this Sunday in the Community Shield, with the Premier League campaign getting underway a week later.