Interview with Cech: No one wants to kill Kepa with a stick and hopes he has a bright future

The first season as Chelsea's technical and executive advisor was very special and memorable for Peter Cech, who officially ended his career last summer and quickly transitioned to a new role. At the club where he achieved the greatest success of his career, he faced the impact of the covid-19 pandemic and the less convincing operations of his predecessors. Below is part of Petr Cech's interview with czech media sport.cz.

The past season has taken more than a year due to the epidemic, what does the whole season look like in your eyes?

I think the most distinctive part should sound colorful, I entered a whole new realm, and my responsibilities were completely different from what I took on on the pitch. At the moment, I am in charge of the normal work of many club staff, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought me more strange situations. [The pandemic] has rapidly affected football and other events in the world, and everyone needs to be adaptable. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it necessary for people in football to have to do some tough things and decisions, but I've also gained a lot of experience from it.

Is the club satisfied with the results that Lampard has achieved with his team?

The main goal of the team is to qualify for the Champions League, which is the term for being able to finish in the top four in the Premier League. Everyone is frustrated by the FA Cup final loss to their city rivals Arsenal, and if you can get a trophy at the end of the season, it is naturally the best. But I think we've built a solid foundation for next season, we've endured tough situations and we're going to get stronger. I think we'll get closer and closer to our goal.

Is it hard to adapt to a new professional role, and how is it different from a career as a professional player?

It's really a huge difference, you can't just care about yourself and training. I need to learn and work together in other departments of the club, whether it's the Academy, scouting, the first team... It takes more time than saving, and players only have to train, go to games, and don't have to deal with anything else.

Is it obviously more difficult to make plans every day?

Yes, it is not easy, and the problems will spontaneously come to you. When I was ten years old training as a player, I knew when I needed to get to the pitch and when I needed to be at home. Now I need to be more adaptable to changes in reality, because there may be many times when I suddenly need to attend a conference or a video connection, and it may start in ten minutes. On the other hand, I need to do some better preparation in my current position. And as a player, I had to adapt to my schedule, but now I can manage and adjust it.

You were also involved in Chelsea's transfer decisions, is it more convincing for a Champions League winner, Europa League and Premier League winner and FA Cup winner to act as a lobbyist for the players who want to sign?

Of course, this will be a plus. The biggest advantage is that they learn from a footballer who has played for this club that they are going to the environment. They know what I've accomplished, and they know that I can fully understand their feelings, perceive their doubts and confusion. I can fully understand the situation of the players and I will convince them that Chelsea (for them) is the right choice.

In the current epidemic situation, it is very difficult to travel to other countries, does this also increase the difficulty of transfer matters accordingly?

Of course, the best way is to negotiate with the players and the club in person. While other approaches do work, transfers rely heavily on communication. Each country has its own regulations, and it's not easy to find an easy path. For example, if some players go on vacation and they need to quarantine when they come back, this will completely affect the preparation and transfer.

While the pandemic has had a big hit on the economic situation in the sports world, would you still expect a sky-high deal before next season?

After a series of situations, there could be an astonishingly large transfer. However, I also think there will be player swap deals. In my opinion, the established transfers will account for a larger proportion than in the past. In different clubs, the economic situation is very unpredictable and chaotic, and everything is changing.

Kepa has been questioned a lot over the past few months, your team has the most expensive goalkeeper on the whole planet, and will Chelsea choose to bring in a new goalkeeper again?

Kepa's performance last year was terrible, there is no doubt about it. But the club invested so much money in him and gave him a long contract because he believed that Kepa had all the preconditions for strength and success. The addition of the team's personnel is certainly a must, and there may be reinforcements at the goalkeeper position, but now these things are being dealt with. However, no one wants to kill Kepa with a stick, we all want him to have a bright future. Things are very active on transfers, and the transfer window won't close until the end of October, so there may be a series of changes after the start of the season. The question now is how much the COVID-19 pandemic will affect everyone.

Has the economic situation in English football deteriorated dramatically?

The pandemic has been a major blow to everyone, with tickets for most of our home games sold out, with 41,000 people watching each game. On top of that, there are a lot of souvenirs to be sold for every game, and I'm talking about a chunk of revenue that's been cut out of all the club budgets. Especially for the lower leagues, this budget cut is very frightening. When they will be able to return to normalcy is important for everyone, as England's third and fourth tier leagues are still part of a game between professional clubs, but they rely heavily on the team's ticket revenue. If fans don't get back on the pitch right away for the foreseeable future, the budget problem will get worse and worse for these lower-level teams.

Can you tell us how much the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Chelsea's finances?

Chelsea are one of the few clubs that has not fired any staff during the pandemic and has paid everyone a full salary, a decision of the boss Abu. He wanted to help everyone as much as possible in such a difficult time, at least to give them a guarantee. Of course, this also increases our losses, but I believe that these economic losses will be compensated in the near future. This is a great decision for the club's employees, and they will be very grateful to the team for being able to make such a decision. From the club's point of view, it is also a very convincing business card.

Subsequently, the Czech media sport.cz also asked about the impact of the local Cycling Project in the Czech Republic that Cech is currently involved in, including whether he will participate in the bicycle race in Prague.

(Editor: Yao Fan)