As ever Chelsea the club first and everything else secondary.

We look after our own interests first which is 100% correct.

As ever Chelsea the club first and everything else secondary.

We look after our own interests first which is 100% correct.

 

I think we all agree that the club has to come first but I think people see what 'the club' actually is just differently.

 

For some it may just be the badge, or the word 'Chelsea' in the league table. That might be how they connect to it.

 

For others Chelsea is the people. That's the people who go to the ground, the people who run the club and the people who have represented this club. Very few have represented this club as well as Pete and he has helped define what this club has been over the last decade.

 

For all intents and purposes, he is the club as are those who have come before and since.

 

So every single person here wants what is best for the club, but we just define that differently. I respect if others have a different relationship with the club and this define it differently, but for me Pete has been such a huge part of this club that he deserves the greatest of respect.

 

But again, I respect others who hold a different view and have a different idea of what the club is. 

How about this scenario: We string Arsenal along all the way until the last day of the transfer window and then tell them 'no deal' and sell Cech to PSG or someone abroad, leaving Wenger with Szczesny and Ospina until January    .

Okay, let's put all notions of sentimentality aside for a second and look at it from a purely logical stance - The people here who don't want us to sell him to a rival and keep him in the reserves - would you then be okay with him going to Arsenal on a free when he's out of contract in 2016? Because we can't force him to move to PSG or wherever, can we? Cech has all the leverage here. If we wants to go to Arsenal, he's going to go to Arsenal, if not this season, then the next. So, ignoring what it does to our relationship with him and the possible ramifications of having an unhappy senior player in our squad next season, my question is this - is delaying this move for one year and losing 10m in the process worth it? If so, are you'll just hoping Arsenal (or United) won't need him or they'll stop being our rivals in a years time?

 

My earlier point was, our best chance of keeping him away from Arsenal, not just for a year but for good, is by appealing to HIS sentimentality. If we let him think it's his choice, he may consider how we feel about Arsenal and do us a favour. If we strong-arm him and force him to stay (we cannot force him to move to a particular club. for example, Sunderland and Liverpool agreed on a deal for Borini, but he rejected the move), we'll go from having a little leverage to having none whatsoever. If you think letting Cech go to Arsenal for 10m is going to feel sh*tty, how sh*tty do you think it'll feel when he goes to them on a free?

 

On a tangential note, since when are we afraid of Arsenal ffs? Or is this just the hatred for that club and the thought of one of our greats playing for them taking over? Because I'd get that.

 

I swear we're the only top club that sells to direct rivals. Mata lampard was bad enough but this would take arsenal to the next level. Id rather keep him at the for 10m. Not happy at all.

 

This is not remotely true though, is it? Who else does it apply to other than Mata? We did not sell Lampard to City. We didn't re-sign him because we didn't need him and were under the impression that he was going to the MLS.

Weird that you'd telling. Always struck me as someone who knows what they're talking about.

 

Pardon?

Pardon?

 

Apologies.

 

Weird that you'd need telling.

first falcao now this !! 

 

   

What is that exactly? If he left tomorrow for £10 million, then that makes him the 6th most expensive keeper of all time and the oldest keeper in the top 10 of all time.

The closest comparison would probably be Claudio Bravo who was 2 years younger and still first choice at his current club but went for just under £10 million.

It would seem like that fee is the going rate for a top keeper of Cech's age.

Irrelevant. Cech is one of the best goalies in the world, he easily has another 5 years at this level. You mean to tell me in today's market that's a fair value when on a 5 year contract, which he will likely sign, that's only 2 millions a year for one of the best in the world? Not having it, don't care where he falls on the list of all time.

Cech should be given freedom to go where he wishes, doesn't mean the club has to cut their own throat to do so. GK is one of the few missing pieces for Arsenal to be a legit contender, we really want to solve that problem on the cheap so Wenger can reinforce other positions with the money he saves on an absolute world class keeper for tales half a decade? Even if Cech was worth 10 million on the open market, and I do not agree with that, he's worth much more to Arsenal and quite frankly were they to buy Cech for that price and sell either Ospina or schezny, they might even make a profit while upgrading massively.

This isn't letting Cech stay in London, this is letting him stay in London by directly strengthening one of our biggest rivals and at bargain bin prices. That's too much. You can stay in London on the cheap with Spurs/Palace/WHAM etc or you can stay in London at a challenging club for a more appropriate price, that's my take.

Edit: If Cech is set on Arsenal but Wenger is too cheap to pay a more appropriate fee, that's not Chelsea's fault and they should not have to be the ones to make the sacrifice to make it happen. Cech's already being given the respect of getting to leave a year early when quite frankly it's more beneficial for the club to ride his contract out, and the manager himself has stated this.

He's been a loyal servant but he's also been made incredibly wealthy playing the game he loves, I don't see why he should be shown any more generously than any other person in that job position. I'm not sure how much some people think he is owed but I'd ask how much do they think Cech owes Chelsea considering everything he has been rewarded with since joining.

Edited June 6, 201511 yr by Barry Bridges

A whole load of pointless dribble, the buck should stop with the manager for team affairs( full control not a watered down version to suit the owner). He decides who comes in or out, his recommendations on where a player goes should come upmost. One reason that Ferguson stayed so long at the top in the job he realised that club comes first, he would only deal with players to clubs that suited him.This maybe harsh but football is unlike any other industry, the rewards are vast for the inconvenience of moving around the globe in a short term career. Petr is a legend at the club but it isn't as though we haven't rewarded him and his family handsomely already whilst achieving this status. Personally I would allow him to move abroad on a cheaper fee so that he could negotiate a higher wage for himself and if it had to be Arsenal there would be a special tax applied to the fee.

 

Exactly. We don't owe Cech anything and he doesn't owe us anything. The club should look out for its own interests first and foremost and it certainly isn't in our interests to allow one of the best keepers around who potentially has years left at the top to move to a direct rival.

Irrelevant. Cech is one of the best goalies in the world, he easily has another 5 years at this level. You mean to tell me in today's market that's a fair value when on a 5 year contract, which he will likely sign, that's only 2 millions a year for one of the best in the world? Not having it, don't care where he falls on the list of all time.

 

Fair enough, you disagree. What is a fair price? I wasn't saying I was right, I was simply looking at the available evidence and coming to a conclusion. What's your's?

 

Cech should be given freedom to go where he wishes, doesn't mean the club has to cut their own throat to do so. GK is one of the few missing pieces for Arsenal to be a legit contender, we really want to solve that problem on the cheap so Wenger can reinforce other positions with the money he saves on an absolute world class keeper for tales half a decade? Even if Cech was worth 10 million on the open market, and I do not agree with that, he's worth much more to Arsenal and quite frankly were they to buy Cech for that price and sell either Ospina or schezny, they might even make a profit while upgrading massively.

 

Disagree with the first bit, agree with the second bit. He will probably make them better.

 

This isn't letting Cech stay in London, this is letting him stay in London by directly strengthening one of our biggest rivals and at bargain bin prices. That's too much. You can stay in London on the cheap with Spurs/Palace/WHAM etc or you can stay in London at a challenging club for a more appropriate price, that's my take.

 

 

Fair point, but can they afford him? Spurs might and if they lose De Gea maybe we could flog him to them. But he's a top keeper and a top competitor, so he will probably want Champions League Football. I do agree though.

 

Edit: If Cech is set on Arsenal but Wenger is too cheap to pay a more appropriate fee, that's not Chelsea's fault and they should not have to be the ones to make the sacrifice to make it happen. Cech's already being given the respect of getting to leave a year early when quite frankly it's more beneficial for the club to ride his contract out, and the manager himself has stated this.

He's been a loyal servant but he's also been made incredibly wealthy playing the game he loves, I don't see why he should be shown any more generously than any other person in that job position. I'm not sure how much some people think he is owed but I'd ask how much do they think Cech owes Chelsea considering everything he has been rewarded with since joining.

 

I think some players go above and beyond, and thanks to that c**t Stephen Hunt, Cech absolutely is one of those. Yes he was doing his job and he could be down t'pit instead of doing something he loves but he's a special one.

 

But I agree with everything you're saying. Yes it sucks, but we replaced him with a younger, arguably better keeper. He acted magnanimously when many wouldn't and that is the mark of the man. It'll be awful if he goes to Arsenal but ultimately, despite the logical step being probably to let him rot in the reserves because if we can't have him then no-one can dammit, I like the guy too much to stand in his way so to speak.

 

Great post though. Exactly what I'd argue on the flipside and something I can absolutely understand.

Arsenal are sh*t guys, don't worry about this lol

I want the best for him. I would accept and respect his move, even to Arsenal.

I appreciate people saying we should show him respect etc. But ffs it's hardly like he's been a slave to the club. We've paid him 100k a week for 10 years. Perhaps it should be him showing the club and fans some respect?

I swear we're the only top club that sells to direct rivals. Mata lampard was bad enough but this would take arsenal to the next level. Id rather keep him at the for 10m. Not happy at all.

We didn't sell Lampard, he left on a free

 

and Mata was a utility player at best by the time we sold him

 

Don't mix up your words - a selling club is one that sells off their best players like Fabregas, RVP, Nasri

 

All we've done is clear out the dead wood ie, players we don't need and/or don't want to be here within their current roles

 

When's the last time we legitimately sold one of our best players, to any team? Robben?

If as Blue Daze believes, as a reward for service and being such a close friend, Roman wants the best for Petr, even if that could possibly come at Chelsea's expense, surely the best thing Roman could have done would have been to sell Cortois to a European side and keep Petr as our number one?

He’s big, He’s tall, You're gonna score f**k all, Petr Cech! Petr Cech!

 

 

He'll always be a legend no matter where he goes.

 

 

 

 

If he wants to stay in London and play for arsenal that is his decision and we should respect this. Chelsea fc shouldn't tell him where to go. He's w legend and very loyal professional.

It means we will have to fight more and improve our team.

Come on lads lets have some confidence!!!

Like someone else mentioned. Respect goes both ways. He should respect the clubs and it's fans enough to not want to go to a direct domestic rival, especially one based in the same city as well.

The fans should respect his decision? Should he not respect the fans also? Why sour such a glorious time spent at the club and his legendary status?

TBH, personal opinion is a move to anyone but Arsenal would be OK. Can he not avoid going to the one team that would irritate/anger fans the most?

I've got no issue with him going to a rival if the club doesn't want him anymore. He's still one of the best keepers in the world and can get into most sides, I still think he's better than Courtois but Courtois is the logical decision given he's still extremely young and has potential. 

 

Awkward situation no doubt one of Jose's most difficult decisions he's ever had to make, I bet that's something he will say when he retires from football. 

 

I would be disappointed in the club most of all should we have ever allowed this to go through, we have a lot more power than Cech does, legend or not can't let him go to Arsenal, we have to be wise here. I expect the club will go about this the right way, no way would we be this lenient if we are then I'll be disappointed. 

Ignoring sentimentality for a moment, one factor that hasn't been mentioned here is practicality. When Petr makes his decision, not only will he have to consider the move from a career perspective but also in terms of what it means for his family. He's got two kids both of whom obviously go to schools in London. Were he to move to Arsenal, they could probably carry on their lives as normal without having to uproot and move house etc. Petr would just have to drive that bit longer to get to training, I suppose. 

 

I certainly don't want him to join Arsenal, it's the last club that I would want to see him go to. But just wanted to point out that it's not only sentimentality and questions of loyalty that will inform Petr's ultimate decision.

Ignoring sentimentality for a moment, one factor that hasn't been mentioned here is practicality. When Petr makes his decision, not only will he have to consider the move from a career perspective but also in terms of what it means for his family. He's got two kids both of whom obviously go to schools in London. Were he to move to Arsenal, they could probably carry on their lives as normal without having to uproot and move house etc. Petr would just have to drive that bit longer to get to training, I suppose.

I certainly don't want him to join Arsenal, it's the last club that I would want to see him go to. But just wanted to point out that it's not only sentimentality and questions of loyalty that will inform Petr's ultimate decision.

Actually, quite a few people have expressed their understanding should Cech choose not to uproot his family. I'm one of them.

Actually, quite a few people have expressed their understanding should Cech choose not to uproot his family. I'm one of them.

 

Only read the last page or so, sorry, my bad.

i would give cech to spurs for free rather than give him to arsenal for any amount of money

 

is there a chance the club can play hardball with cech to at least see what happens to lloris whos been linked to united as de gea's replacement? if lloris goes then we should just give him to spurs says me with my ceo hat on

Like someone else mentioned. Respect goes both ways. He should respect the clubs and it's fans enough to not want to go to a direct domestic rival, especially one based in the same city as well.

The fans should respect his decision? Should he not respect the fans also? Why sour such a glorious time spent at the club and his legendary status?

TBH, personal opinion is a move to anyone but Arsenal would be OK. Can he not avoid going to the one team that would irritate/anger fans the most?

 

Do you honestly think it would 'sour....his legendary status' or anger any fans though? I think most understand the reasoning behind such a move and whilst not over the moon about it, would accept it.

Do you honestly think it would 'sour....his legendary status' or anger any fans though? I think most understand the reasoning behind such a move and whilst not over the moon about it, would accept it.

 

Probably more directed at the club than him personally. I think most would agree that letting one of the best keepers in the world move to one of your nearest rivals for a relatively small fee is completely stupid and is something we absolutely should not do. All the advantages in the deal would be for Arsenal.

Probably more directed at the club than him personally. I think most would agree that letting one of the best keepers in the world move to one of your nearest rivals for a relatively small fee is completely stupid and is something we absolutely should not do. All the advantages in the deal would be for Arsenal.

Spot on.