Former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper, Petr Cech has opened up on his decision to leave Stamford Bridge.
According to Cech, he wasn't happy after he was dropped him behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order.
“I was not happy at all,” Cech, who now fills an advisor role at Chelsea, told the Blues’ official website when reflecting on the end of his playing spell at the club.
“I could see in pre-season how hard I was working. There was nothing obvious suggesting I wouldn’t be ready to keep my spot.
Petr Cech spent ten years at Chelsea. He also helped the club win four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, and one UEFA Europa League title.
He continued: “But in a football team you can only have one goalkeeper playing every week, and unfortunately that was the way it went.
“Thibaut was regarded as the future of the club with all his potential and quality. I understood the choice was made, even if I didn’t think it was my time.
The Czech international began his career at Chmel Blšany in 1999, he for two seasons before he joined Sparta Prague in 2001.
Cech move to France to join Ligue 1 side Rennes for a fee of €5.5 million (£3.9 million) in 2002.
“Leaving Chelsea was the hardest decision I had to make.
“Having played for this club for such a long time, and becoming a big part of the history of the club, I always thought I was going to finish my career at Chelsea, or maybe leave for the last couple of years.
“At that moment I didn’t feel like it was like the last couple of years. That was not what I pictured in my head. But it was clear my journey had come to an end, and I decided I was going to go and try something else.”
After he made numerous saves in Ligue 1, Cech felt it was time to move to Premier League. He signed with Chelsea for a fee of £7 million (€9.8 million) in 2004.
Cech left Chelsea in 2015 and signed for Arsenal for a fee of around £10 million.
He reportedly won another FA Cup before retiring in 2019.
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