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The Blues legend was pushed by the pecking order at Stamford Bridge by a Belgian international, with the decision to cross London.
Chelsea legend Petr Cech admits he was “not happy” when the decision was made to leave him behind Thibaut Courtois in the hierarchical order at Stamford Bridge.
The Czech goalkeeper had been the Blues’ most trusted last line of defense for 10 years before being asked to fulfill backup duties.
Four Premier League titles and a Champions League crown had been collected at the time, with more than 450 appearances.
However, Courtois’ potential was to see him get the go-ahead in 2014-15 after three productive seasons on loan at Atlético de Madrid.
Cech was less than impressed by having to pass the gloves on to the Belgian international, with an iconic figure who finally made the decision to cross London and link with Arsenal in 2015.
“He was not happy at all,” Cech, who now holds an advisory position in Chelsea, told the Blues. official Web site when she reflects on the end of her game spell at the club.
“I could see in preseason how hard he was working. There was nothing obvious to suggest that I would not be ready to keep my place.
“But in a soccer team you can only have one goalkeeper playing every week, and unfortunately it was.
“Thibaut was considered the future of the club with all its potential and quality. I understood that the choice was made, even if I didn’t think it was my time.
“Leaving Chelsea was the most difficult decision I had to make.
Having played for this club for so long and becoming such a big part of the club’s history, I always thought I was going to end my career at Chelsea, or maybe leave in the past few years.
“At the time I didn’t feel like it was the last few years. That was not what I imagined in my head. But it was clear that my trip had come to an end, and I decided I was going to try something else.”
Cech spent four years with Arsenal before retiring.
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He is now in a position to look back fondly on his distinguished career, even if sometimes not everything was simple.
Cech added: “When I look back, I am happy for the good things, obviously I am not happy with the things that did not go exactly as we wanted, but they played an important role, so I would not change one thing.
“It was a great trip. I really enjoyed it. If I had the chance, I would do it again.
