Arsenal deal for Chelsea's Petr Cech could be decisive in title race claims David Seaman

Arsenal favourite David Seaman believes that the club's deal to sign Petr Cech from champions Chelsea could make a pivotal difference in deciding the winner of next season's Premier League title race.

Having been linked with a potential move for Cech throughout the summer with the experienced goalkeeper evidently unwilling to spend another year playing second fiddle to the impressive Thibaut Courtois at Stamford Bridge, the transfer was finally confirmed by all parties on 29 June for a fee that was officially recorded as undisclosed but reported to be in the region of £10m ($15.7m, €14m).

Manager Arsene Wenger has generally struggled to settle on a long-term number one in recent years, with former incumbent Wojciech Szczesny losing his starting berth to Colombian international David Ospina in January.

Indeed, the lack of a formidable and consistent presence between the posts has long been considered as one of the key factors behind Arsenal's struggle to compete for their first league success since 2004.

Those concerns have now finally been put to rest, however, and former Gunners stalwart Seaman is confident that his former club can challenge Chelsea's dominance next term.

"Chelsea's loss could, and likely will, be Arsenal's gain," he said on BreatheSport. "In my opinion, this signing could genuinely be the difference between who will come first and who will come second next season."

One of the key questions and intriguing subplots following the confirmation of Cech's move is whether or not he will be joined at the Emirates Stadium by long-term mentor and coach Christophe Lollichon.

The Frenchman worked with Cech during the latter stages of his stint with Ligue 1 outfit Rennes and joined Chelsea in November 2007.

The Mirror speculated earlier in June that Arsenal may want to bring in Lollichon due to his close relationship with the 33-year-old. However, comments made over the weekend suggest that such a move might not be possible.

"For now, it does not matter. No contact has been made," he told French newspaper L'Equipe as reported by the London Evening Standard.

"I do not know if this has been discussed between the two clubs, but I do not think Chelsea will be favourable."