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What is the story?
Chelsea Football Club have announced Petr Cech's return to his former club. The legendary former Blues and Arsenal goalkeeper has joined the Stamford Bridge outfit as their new technical and performance advisor.
In case you didn't know...
Cech, now 37, joined Chelsea from French side Rennes in 2004. For Chelsea, he made 494 appearances in all competitions, winning every possible trophy barring the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, during his 11-year stay at the club. He joined Arsenal from Chelsea in 2015.
During his spell at Chelsea and Arsenal, Cech kept 207 clean-sheets from 443 Premier League matches. Cech has the record of keeping most number of clean sheets in the Premier League.
Before his retirement from professional football at the end of last season, Cech made his last appearance in Arsenal colours in the final of the UEFA Europa League, where they succumbed to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Chelsea.
The heart of the matter
Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Petr Cech via a twitter post. After getting the new role at his former club, Cech expressed his gratitude towards the club management by saying,
‘I feel very privileged to have this opportunity to join Chelsea FC 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.’
On this occasion, Chelsea Director Marina Granovskaia said:
‘We are delighted to welcome Petr back home to Chelsea. During his playing career here he was one of the most dedicated, successful and thoughtful professionals we have ever had. We always hoped that when Petr was ready to retire we would see him back at Chelsea FC and we are thrilled to add his expertise and knowledge of the game to the technical staff.’
What is next?
Although Chelsea hired their new technical and performance advisor, the club is yet to decide their next manager. If reports surrounding the club are to be believed, Cech's former teammate Frank Lampard is likely to be Chelsea's new boss.
