Petr Cech leaves Chelsea a true legend of the Abramovich era
The first few weeks of Chelsea’s new era, defined by departures rather than arrivals, must now contend with the most emotive goodbye of all. “It has been a huge privilege to perform this role at Chelsea for the past three years,” said Petr Cech, confirming his decision to stand down as technical and performance advisor with a statement on the club’s official website. “With the club under new ownership, I feel now is the right time for me to step aside. I am pleased that the club is now in an excellent position with the new owners, and I am confident of its future success both on and off the pitch.” Cech’s parting vote of confidence in the judgement of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital cannot obscure the fact that he sees no place for himself in the new football structure they will build at Chelsea. That conclusion isn’t hugely surprising, given how close his ties were to Roman Abramovich and in particular to Marina Granovskaia, with whom he worked closely on a daily basis. No legend of the Abramovich era enjoyed better relations with the old Chelsea hierarchy than Cech, who was afforded a private audience with the Russian at his London residence to express his desire to join Arsenal in the summer of 2015 — and then granted the move against the explicit wishes of then-manager Jose Mourinho. Granovskaia, by then well established as the lead football decision-maker at Stamford Bridge, was a key ally in the process. His return as an executive in the summer of 2019 was pre-ordained, the foundations laid during the final years of his playing career. Chelsea essentially waited more than a year for him to retire rather than immediately try to fill the void left by technical director Michael Emenalo, who abruptly resigned in November 2017. Cech was never intended to be a direct replacement — hence the wordier, more abstract job title — but rather to serve as an intelligent, respected link between the club’s various football departments, as well as between the boardroom and the dressing room. It was a further mark of the credit Cech had in the bank that his very public pursuit of his hobbies — performing as a drummer with folk-rock band Wills and the Willing and as a netminder for local ice hockey team Guildford Phoenix — did not affect his standing with Abramovich or Granovskaia, despite others at the club questioning whether their demands on his time and his focus would undermine his ability to do his day job. There is no suggestion that they ever did, though the true nature of his day job never seemed fully defined. For some agents who dealt with Chelsea, his position within the club’s recruitment structure was always a mystery, but he also played a significant role in other deals.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0