Goalkeeper feels club turned a new page
Arsenal star Petr Cech has revealed the real reasons behind him deciding to leave Chelsea Football Club over the summer – and he believes the club turned a page on him.
The veteran dropped down the pecking order last season after Thibaut Courtois returned from a three-year loan spell with Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
Courtois returned to Stamford Bridge and was named as Jose Mourinho‘s new number-one for the 2014/2015 campaign.
Despite deciding to stay put at the club for last season, Cech was growing frustrated at the lack of first-team football, and he told Mourinho and Roman Abramovich that he was ready to leave.
Cech wanted to remain in London, and due to his loyal services to Chelsea, Abramovich over-ruled Mourinho and allowed the ‘keeper to move to rivals Arsenal.
Time Up at the Bridge
Speaking about his transfer, Cech admitted he felt his time was up at Chelsea after they seemingly turned a page on him.
He told Sport magazine: ““Last year I realised that the club [Chelsea] had sort of turned the page from me. I knew the manager had made his choice and that this was not for me at this point of my career.
“If I was new to the club or I had been there two or three years, then you might think: ‘Okay, let’s fight for my place and see what the outcome will be.’
“But at my age and after all I’ve done it was like a chapter closing. Sometimes you have to think about yourself, and this was the best thing for me.
“At 33, I don’t want to just give things time, just to wait and see. So, after all I’d done at Chelsea, I felt it was the right time to move on.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
