*Checks year*
It is is 2020. October 2020. Petr Cech is 38 years of age and was last seen playing football for Arsenal some time last season. Or was it the season before? We don’t even know. Which probably says a lot.
All this considered, you can see why we – and pretty much everyone else, for that matter – might have thought Chelsea had made some kind of error when posting their Premier League squad on Tuesday.
There, right at the bottom, was Cech’s name, a whole five years after last appearing for the Stamford Bridge club. Surely… *surely* this had to be a mistake?
But no.
A statement on the club’s website made it clear that the goalkeeper, a former teammate of manager Frank Lampard, had been included on the list as an emergency goalkeeping cover.
‘This is a precautionary step due to the unprecedented conditions currently caused by the Covid-19 crisis,’ the statement explained. ‘He takes up a position as a non-contract player.’
Cech first signed for Chelsea 16 years ago, establishing himself as number one in Jose Mourinho’s first two title-winning sides.
He returns to the club despite the recent signing of Senegalese international Edouard Mendy from Rennes (coincidentally the same club from which they signed Cech), who is expected to be the club’s first choice goalkeeper.
Chelsea’s full 25-man Premier League squad is:
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Antonio Rudiger
Marcos Alonso
Andreas Christensen – homegrown
Jorginho
Thiago Silva
N’Golo Kante
Tammy Abraham – homegrown
Christian Pulisic
Timo Werner
Willy Caballero
Fikayo Tomori – homegrown
Kurt Zouma
Edouard Mendy
Mateo Kovacic
Olivier Giroud
Mason Mount – under-21
Callum Hudson-Odoi – under-21
Ben Chilwell – homegrown
Hakim Ziyech
Billy Gilmour – under-21
Reece James – under-21
Cesar Azpilicueta
Kai Havertz – under-21
Emerson Palmieri
Petr Cech
