Petr Cech to be offered chance to return to Chelsea

Premier League
By The Mirror | Jan 17, 2019
Petr Cech and Didier Drogba pose with the FA Cup trophy [Courtesy]

Petr Cech will be offered the chance to return 'home' to Chelsea when he calls time on his playing career at the end of the season.

The 36 year-old announced his intention to call time on a 20-year career on Tuesday, saying he had "achieved everything I set out to achieve" in football.

That includes winning three Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League with the Blues, whom he left in 2015 in order to join Arsenal.

And the club that brought him to England 15 years ago will now offer him the chance to return to the place where he built his reputation as one of the world's best goalkeepers, possibly in a coaching or ambassadorial role, report the Mail .

Announcing his decision to hang up his gloves, the Czech goalkeeper said: "This is my 20th year as a professional and it has been 20 years since I signed my first contract so it feels like the time is right.

"Having played 15 years in the Premier League, and won every single trophy possible, I feel like I have achieved everything I set out to achieve.

Cech will be offered the chance to return 'home' to Chelsea when he calls time on his playing career [Courtesy]

"I will continue to work had at Arsenal to hopefully win one more trophy this season, then I am looking forward to seeing what life holds for me off the pitch."

Cech bows out of football with his reputation secured as one of the best goalkeepers to have played in England, and his tally of 202 clean sheets is a Premier League record.

He helped Chelsea to a first league title for half a century during his debut season in 2004/05 - and then to retain the crown the following year.

His crowning moment came in 2012 when he saved penalties from Ivica Olic, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Arjen Robben in the Munich final to land the Blues their first, and to date only, European Cup success.

He joined Arsenal in 2015 after losing his Chelsea place to Thibaut Courtois and has now suffered the same fate at the Emirates following the signing of the German Bernd Leno.

It is not known whether he will accept Chelsea's offer of a return to Stamford Bridge, but he would be primed to take up any possible back room duties having already begun working on his Uefa coaching badges.

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