Veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech is all set to mark his return to the football pitch when Chelsea take on Tottenham Hotspur in Premier League 2 on Monday.
The former Czech Republic international retired at the end of the 2018-19 season after four seasons with Arsenal following a decade of his professional career in Chelsea colours.
Now he is ready once again to don the gloves for the West Londoners’ development squad in Monday’s match against the Spurs.
An appearance in the senior team looks unlikely at the moment as Cech is fifth in the pecking order of goalkeepers. However, he remains in training with the squad after returning as the clubs’ technical and performance adviser under current manager and former teammate, Frank Lampard.
“It’s true that it would have been a professional error to do this if I wasn’t at Premier League level, but that’s not the way we work here,” Cech told Telefoot of his surprise return to the senior team in November.
“I know I’m 100 per cent ready to help if needs be. I’m fit, and with the two months of training, I’ve seen I have the same quality.
“Furthermore, I rested for a year without playing football. It really gave me energy, my body recovered after playing 20 years as a professional. If the circumstances put me on the pitch, I’m ready.”
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is also happy with the presence of Cech at Chelsea. On one side, he provides valuable insights to the young players and on the other side, he is an excellent cover to have for the other players as well, as he is extremely fit even now.
“Petr has been training with the goalkeepers for a little while now. He has been training a lot of days with them which is valuable for experience [of the other goalkeepers] and that he is passing on that quality to them,” Lampard told reporters following Tuesday’s 0-0 Champions League draw with Sevilla at Stamford Bridge.
“We had that space in the squad and we know this year, it looks like no other because of Covid and isolation so it was a very easy one. Pete still does his day job and he is there if we need him.
“He is fit, very fit. He is still relatively young. He finished playing when he possibly could have carried on. He has taken on his role at Chelsea very well and he has been very helpful to me and we work closely together. He trains fairly regularly and he is fit.”
