Petr Cech has returned to Chelsea to take up a role as technical and performance advisor.
Cech joined Chelsea as a player in 2004 after impressing at Rennes and went on to enjoy the best 11 years of his career at Stamford Bridge, establishing himself as one of the world’s greatest goalkeepers in that period.
He joined Arsenal in 2015, as Thibaut Courtois became first choice at Chelsea, and was a regular for the Gunners for three years before becoming back-up to Bernd Leno in his final campaign
Cech announced his plan to retire back in January and, after significant speculation about a potential return to Chelsea, the club have confirmed he is heading back to the Blues.
Speaking to Chelsea’s website about his appointment, Cech said: “I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to join Chelsea again and help create the best possible high-level performance environment to continue the success the club has had over the past 15 years.
“I’m looking forward to the new challenge and hope I can use all of my football knowledge and experience to help the team achieve even more success in the future.”
Cech’s final match as a player saw him come up against Chelsea in the Europa League final, as Arsenal shipped four goals in a comprehensive 4-1 defeat in Baku last month.
The former Czech Republic international acknowledged a day later that the rumours concerning his future had proven to be a distraction, even though Cech was arguably Arsenal’s best player in the match.
According to Chelsea, Cech’s new role will see him “provide advice on all football and performance matters”, while also building and facilitating “strong links between our men’s and academy teams”.
Cech could soon be joined by another former Chelsea great, with Frank Lampard the overwhelming favourite to be appointed Maurizio Sarri’s successor as the club’s coach.
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