In Summary

• Cech ended his playing career with Arsenal at the end of last season, making his final professional appearance in their 4-1 defeat by Chelsea in last month’s Europa League final.
• He said he’s looking forward to the new challenge and holes that he can use kf his football knowledge and experience to help the team achieve even more success on and off the pitch in the future.

Former Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has returned to the club as technical and performance advisor.

Chelsea have appointed their former goalkeeper Petr Cech as technical and performance advisor, the Premier League club announced yesterday. Cech spent 11 years as a player at Chelsea, winning 13 major trophies, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League, before moving to their London rivals Arsenal in 2015. In his new role, the 37-year-old will work closely with Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia and the first-team coaching staff and travel with the team to away games, the club said in a statement.

Cech said in an interview that he feels very privileged  to have this opportunity to join Chelsea again and help create the best possible high-level performance environment to continue the success the club has had over the past 15 years.

He added that he is already looking forward to bringing all of the knowledge and experience he has been able to amass in the world of football back to the club and ensure that he helps them achieve more success in the future. Cech ended his playing career with Arsenal at the end of last season, making his final professional appearance in their 4-1 defeat by Chelsea in last month’s Europa League final. His appointment kickstarts an overhaul of Chelsea’s backroom staff, with the club also looking to appoint a new manager after Maurizio Sarri left for Juventus.

Cech’s former Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard has emerged as favourite to replace Sarri after guiding Derby County to the Championship (second-tier) playoff final in his first season in management.