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Arsenal have explored the possibility of taking Cech and they believe that a deal could be put in place for him in the summer. A host of other clubs in mainland Europe are also interested in the 32-year-old, chief among them Paris St-Germain.
Cech – a Chelsea legend after 11 years of glittering service – enjoys a close personal relationship with the club’s owner Roman Abramovich, who is inclined to allow him to chose his next club, wherever it might be. A move to Arsenal might appeal as Cech would not have to uproot his family from London.
Cech has fallen behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and he has said that he does not want to have another season like this one, in which he has played second fiddle. He has been restricted to six appearances in Chelsea’s title triumph, conceding only one goal while he started in the Capital One Cup final win over Tottenham Hotspur in March.
Mourinho, too, enjoys a close relationship with Cech but from his perspective, the clinical, professional imperatives stand to outweigh the more emotional ones. To him, it would make no sense to lose a goalkeeper of Cech’s quality and it would make even less if he were to be allowed to strengthen a direct rival like Arsenal.
Mourinho had previously endorsed the view that Cech had earned the right to pick his next club but he revealed his true feelings on Friday afternoon, ahead of Liverpool’s visit to Stamford Bridge . He did, however, admit that his voice in the decision was unlikely to carry the same weight as that of Abramovich.
“One thing is José Mourinho and another is Mr Abramovich, and another thing is the board, because the board is a little bit of me and a little bit of other people,” Mourinho said. “If it was me, if it was my decision, the decision is Petr to stay. That’s it. It would be my decision for Petr to stay. Even against his will? Yes.
“I think that the club is more important than the player and, as was true this season, the club needs two very good goalkeepers. Without Petr this season, I don’t think the club would be champions because he played six important matches in the Premier League. Without these points, we probably wouldn’t be champions.
“For me, decision number one, Petr will stay. After that, second point, to go but not in England. The option I don’t want is for him to go to an English club. But, I repeat, I am just the manager and he means so much for this club and what he did in this club, I think he deserves everything from this club. If the club decision is different to mine I will accept it.”
