Petr Cech has lifted the lid on his decision to leave Chelsea after being the club’s No1 for a decade.
Cech signed for Arsenal in the summer of 2015, not before winning his fourth league title.
The decision to join a rival was hard, says Cech, but he knew he had given everything for the Chelsea cause, from beginning to end, and so supporters would understand his desire to stay in the Premier League and not uproot his family.
He told the club website: “I was not happy at all. I could see in pre-season how hard I was working.
“There was nothing suggesting I wouldn’t be ready to keep my spot.
“But in a football team you can only have one goalkeeper playing every week, and unfortunately that was the way it went.
“Thibaut [Courtois] was regarded as the future of the club with all his potential and quality.
“I understood the choice was made, even if I didn’t think it was my time.
“Leaving Chelsea was the hardest decision I had to make.
“Having played for this club for such a long time, and becoming a big part of the history of the club, I always thought I was going to finish my career at Chelsea, or maybe leave for the last couple of years.
“At that moment I didn’t feel like it was like the last couple of years. That was not what I pictured in my head. But it was clear my journey had come to an end, and I decided I was going to go and try something else.”