And while James says Arsene Wenger has landed a very good goalkeeper, he believes the Gunners could have cut out the middle man and gone for Begovic directly.
If I was an Arsenal fan I would have been happier to have signed Begovic.
David James
He told talkSPORT: "Petr Cech is a very good goalkeeper but he's not at his best.
"At 33 years of age, there's nothing to say he can't get back to his best form though.
"If he does then Arsenal still have one hell of a goalkeeper but Chelsea still get £11million for a 33-year-old with one year left on his deal.
GETTY
Asmir Begovic has joined Chelsea
"They have gone out and bought Asmir Begovic, who was sought after by many big clubs in the last two or three years, and been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League.
"He's got age on his side and, alongside Thibaut Courtois, you've got two of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League with 15-plus years ahead of them.
"If I was an Arsenal fan I would have been happier to have signed Begovic."
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