Why Petr Cech Must Be Remembered as a Chelsea All-Time Great
There's a division at Chelsea right now. And it revolves around a player who doesn't even play for the club.
Chelsea fans either still adore Petr Cech or, in the most extreme cases, regard him as a modern-day Judas after he signed for Arsenal this week.
Those falling into the latter category of fan need to reconsider why they actually support Chelsea; they need to question why the club has achieved everything it has this past decade.
Excuse the pun, but they need a reality check.
Sure, for those ardent fans who have stood on the terraces and watched Chelsea collect trophy after trophy with Cech as their custodian in goal, the images published across social media of him wearing Arsenal colours would have been hard to stomach.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
As Cech said himself in an open letter to Chelsea fans, he wanted to retire at Stamford Bridge.
"But life doesn't always turn out the way you think it will," he concluded.
Cech's move to Arsenal wasn't defined by a player who pushed for the move. It came about as he was a victim of circumstance.
When Chelsea signed him from Rennes in 2004, the club was signing a goalkeeper who would be among the world's leading talents for the next 10 years and more.
When Chelsea signed Thibaut Courtois from Genk in 2011, it was the same.
The Belgian's three-year loan spell with Atletico Madrid delayed the inevitable. Courtois was always going to be Cech's replacement and that time has come.
It's not because Cech is no longer good enough or because he's a bad character. It's because Chelsea aren't content with simply competing; the club is determined to be Europe's best and by default, they need a team with the longevity to withstand that challenge.
Cech is 33. He was becoming less integral to that plan.
Chelsea couldn't allow Courtois, a future world No. 1, to leave. So it's Cech who has bitten the bullet.
Eventually it became Cech's choice to leave, but only when his hand was forced.
Cech saw his former Chelsea teammate Carlo Cudicini waste some of the best years of his career on the bench at Stamford Bridge. Where did that loyalty get him? Nowhere.
When we think of the Italian goalkeeper now the thoughts are of a wasted talent, a goalkeeper who could have done so much more had he left Chelsea when Cech replaced him as first choice.
Cech knows he should be playing regular football at the highest level and he's been brave enough to follow through on his ambition.
He should be applauded, not criticised.
Given his talent, it seems an odd-ball remark, but he was surplus at Chelsea, whereas he is needed at Arsenal.
Cech's legacy at Stamford is just as safe as the Chelsea goal whenever he was in it. Cech conducted himself with great dignity this past year, putting the club first and never speaking out after being replaced by Courtois.
He hasn't traded Chelsea in when they needed him. If anything, it's the total opposite.
Soon after his departure this week, Chelsea published a fascinating statistical breakdown of Cech's career on the club's official website.
It was a rather classy thing of Chelsea to do—openly acknowledging what a great player they have lost. Usually such sentiment isn't reserved for players of any club when they depart, especially for a rival.
This is different, however.
The statistics are remarkable. The article reminds us that Cech is Chelsea's all-time clean-sheets record holder with 227+1, that he once went 1,024 minutes in the Premier League without conceding a goal (a then record).
Cech has won the Premier League's Golden Glove Award three times (2005, 2010 and 2014), made just shy of 500 appearances for Chelsea and won every major honour in European club football.
Cech saved two penalties in the Champions League final—including Arjen Robben's in extra time—and has been a part of countless significant moments that have delivered Chelsea glory.
His legacy at Chelsea is beyond compare and Courtois has plenty to do if he is ever going to emulate it.
For the past decade, Chelsea Football Club has been touched by greatness.
Chelsea fans should feel privileged by that fact, regardless of where Cech is playing his football now the club doesn't want him.
"Carefree wherever you may be..." is the intro to a song often heard in west London on matchdays. That sentiment is rather apt for Cech and Chelsea legacy.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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