Cech checks in with Baggies

Albion new boy Marek Cech says playing for the Baggies in the Premier League will more than make up for losing his Champions League status.

The Slovakian international yesterday turned his back on the Champions League with Porto to pen a three-year deal at The Hawthorns. And the 25-year-old left-back, who has won three back-to-back Portuguese championships, says the glamour of the Premier League will compensate for losing European football.

“The Champions League is a dream for every footballer and I played 14 to 15 games in the Champions League,” he said.

“I saw the atmosphere and everything around it. It is something spectacular. I will miss those games but in the Premier League you have five or six great teams like Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man United.

“Every four or five games you will have that kind of challenge and experience. They are comparable with the Champions League. Porto are playing in the Champions League this year but I had only one year left on my contract and that is why I had to decide whether to prolong it or look for a transfer.”

And Cech has revealed he first considered a switch to The Hawthorns a year ago before finally making the move yesterday.

“Last season they had an interest in me but I was still at Porto with two years on my contract and I decided to stay in Porto because of the Champions League and those two years.”