Chelsea Transfer News: All Signs Pointing to Petr Cech January Exit

Chelsea's Petr Cech has spoken out on his current situation at the club, and following the news Jose Mourinho rejected a loan deal for veteran stopper Mark Schwarzer, it's starting to look like the Czech international's days at Stamford Bridge are numbered.

As reported by the Daily Mail's Simon Jones, Cech recently told a Czech radio station he is growing tired of sitting on the Blues' bench while Thibaut Courtois receives most of the starting minutes:

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I have not spoken to anyone but I think they know me well enough at the club to know that the situation is definitely not the way I would imagine.

With the Euros [in 2016] and the national team in mind, there is no time for me to sit on the bench and not to play.

If the situation will not start to improve for me, then I will want to solve it.

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Cech handled himself like the perfect professional during the summer, knowing full well the incoming Courtois was going to be the designated starter for the foreseeable future.

The veteran kept his head down and kept working, and Mourinho no doubt loved the idea of having two class starters in case of emergency. But these latest comments are unnerving, and Jones' report the club refused to sign off on an emergency loan for Schwarzer to Fulham is an even worse omen.

The 42-year-old Australian is a capable backup nearing the end of his professional career, and a reunion with the Cottagers would have made for a storybook ending. He knows full well he won't leave the Chelsea bench if all goes to plan this season—it's safe to assume he was looking forward to the prospect of leaving for Fulham.

If Mourinho is fearful of letting him walk, it's for one reason—he's worried Cech will follow through on his threat. Bleacher Report UK's Garry Hayes thinks his substitute appearance against Arsenal may have been the final push he needed:

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What of Cech the player? Where does it all leave him?

In limbo, with few options to make a difference and change his manager's opinion, to show him he has made a mistake.

Coming on against Arsenal was a killer blow for Cech. It was the reality check he has maybe needed, making him all too aware that when he does eventually play this season, it will be because Courtois has dictated it.

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For better or for worse, this is Courtois' team now. Cech has been given just a single start all season for the Blues, an FA Cup match, per WhoScored.com. His 22-year-old teammate has done nothing that could lead to people questioning Mourinho's decision to start him, and given his potential, he's clearly the future of this team.

Fans hoped the two could coexist in a way, and for the first two months of the season, it looked like there would be no problems.

But now Cech is making it clear he wants to play more frequently "or else," and with reported interest from Atletico Madrid, according to the Daily Star (h/t 101greatgoals.com) and AS Roma, per Il Tempo (h/t Metro's Vaishali Bhardwaj), there will be plenty of suitors in January.

The Czech Republic have enjoyed a perfect start to qualification for Euro 2016, and as of right now, the team looks very likely to qualify for the tournament. It shouldn't come as a big surprise Cech is talking about "solving the situation" right now, and not two weeks ago.

Can the Blues convince their longtime starter to stick around? Perhaps, but the decision not to loan Schwarzer to Fulham indicates Mourinho believes Cech's threat and has no indication of giving in to it.

It's far too early to start making definitive statements about Cech's future, but at the midway point of the international break, all signs point toward a departure from Stamford Bridge in the January window.

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