Hugo Lloris is better than Petr Cech and Arsenal have made a mistake - Tottenham Hotspur fan view

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Arsenal confirmed the signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea on Monday afternoon, with some claiming they can now go on to win the Premier League title.

Over at Spurs, most fans believe their goalkeeper Hugo Lloris is a step up on Cech, with Arsenal still some way away from a title-winning season.

Tottenham fan Barnaby Slater from Spurred On TV tells us why Lloris is the best goalkeeper in the Premier League and how Arsenal might have made a mistake is signing Cech.  

So, Woolwich have bought a new goalkeeper. A Premier League winner no less. A Champions League-decorated custodian who has won every domestic and European honour going.

For years now, in fact pretty much since David Seaman hung up his ponytail and Jens Lehmann stopped getting himself sent off every other game, the south Londoners have been saying that all they need to put in a proper challenge for the Premier League title is a top-class gloveman. And now they have one, right?

Wrong.

Hugo Lloris is part of the new breed of goalkeeper where it matters just as much what you do with your feet

Lloris (left) comes to claim the ball ahead of Sydney defender Sebastian Ryall during a post-season friendly

Not only is Lloris a good shot-stopper, he is a leader too and captains both his club and country

Sure, Petr Cech has a CV that is impressive on paper. But as we all know, things change quickly in football, and a season away from regular first-team action, especially at the age of 33, may well make the £10m signing of Cech a mistake from Arsene Wenger. But suggesting that isn't really what I'm here to talk about. 

I'm actually writing to tell you why the Spurs captain and French numero un Hugo Lloris is not only better than Cech, but also the best keeper in the Premier League. Let me explain why…

Goalkeeping is a completely different art to what it was back in the day. No longer can a wannabe shot-stopper hang off his parents' bannisters in the hope it will make him taller and result in him being one of the world's best, a la Peter Shilton.

In fact, these days, goalkeeping is as much about what you do with your feet and your mind as it is your hands. And when it comes to sweeping up behind a back four and cutting out dangerous passes there is no-one better in the country than Lloris.

Arsenal announced the signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea on Monday for a fee of £10million

According to our Tottenham blogger, the signing of Cech could be a mistake for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

Cech is pictured arriving at Arsenal's training ground in London Colney ahead of his move to the Gunners

He and Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich have made this an art that nobody else can match. Next time you watch Arsenal and Spurs, take a look at the starting positions of their goalkeepers in open play.

You'll see Cech somewhere around his six yard line or penalty spot at a push, probably concentrating on how his safety hat looks on his dangerously vulnerable head. But when you see Hugo, he's on his toes, leaning forward on his 18-yard line, wondering how he can next get involved in play and cut out the danger coming his way.

Distribution is another area where Lloris outsmarts the Czech No 1. Hugo will always happily take the ball on his left foot and look to deliver a chipped pass to his full backs, pushing up towards the halfway line, or to Nabil Bentaleb coming deep to pick up the ball between his centre backs. From what I've seen over the years, Cech is a bit more panicky on the ball - always happier to give it a hefty boot up the field than take a risk on his own passing ability.

Lloris is always happy to come and pick the ball up from between his centre-backs or chip a pass to a full back

Lloris (left) is happy to distribute the ball with his left foot, while Cech is happy to give it a hefty boot

Manuel Neuer (centre) and Lloris are two keepers that have mastered the art of sweeping

And then there's leadership. Cech just seems mute most of the time. For a huge man he really doesn't give a sense of wanting to lead at all.

Meanwhile, Lloris is captain of his club AND country. He's dealt with regular Gallic implosions at major tournaments and come out the other side. And if he thought that was hard work, he's also had to keep goal behind a back four that regularly look like they've never even met each other at Tottenham Hotspur.

With that in mind it's his leadership that sets him apart. Sure he sometimes gets aggressive, but more often than not he'll just point his defenders in the right direction while giving them a handsome-yet-frightening stare that lets them know that if they make a mistake again, they won't be invited to his next cheese fondue party.

Lloris barks at his defenders during a Premier League match last season; he speaks more than Cech

Lloris (right), pictured with Antoine Griezmann at the World Cup in Brazil, also captains the France team

Manchester United - the biggest club in the world - are rumoured to be interested in Lloris for £40m

And finally, there's the difference in reputation of the two keepers. It's simple really. Sure, once upon a time Cech was seen as one of the best in the world. But right now, only Woolwich were interested in buying him.

With Lloris there are rumours of the biggest club in the world, Manchester United, looking to pay £40m or more to make him their next No 1.

That's because he's in his prime, he's a modern goalkeeper who does more than just the obligatory shot-stopping. And he's the kind of player who drags an entire team up by their bootstraps, not someone who just makes the odd great save or catches the odd difficult cross.

That's what every professional keeper is paid to do. And Hugo is not just your average goalkeeper; he's one of the new breed.

Spurred On TV is a YouTube channel discussing all things Tottenham. You can follow them on Twitter too, @spurredontv.