Chelsea FC’s Top 5 Black Friday Bargains
3) Petr Cech – £7 million, 2004.
One of the first players signed under Roman Abramovich, Petr Cech went on to become Chelsea’s best ever goalkeeper. He spent over a decade in the Chelsea goal, and became a pivotal part in the spine of a number of teams, winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields, one Europa League, and most importantly, one Champions League.
It was that Champions League night in 2012 that will live long in the memory of Chelsea fans. The Blues were unfancied after scraping into the final, facing Bayern Munich on their own turf. Under pressure from the beginning, Cech made a number of important saves, before denying former blue Arjen Robben from the spot in extra-time. He saved a further two penalties from Bayern’s Ivica Olic and Bastian Schweinsteiger as Chelsea won their first ever Champions League.
The Czech keeper was a consistent part of every team during his 11 years with the club, playing 486 games for Chelsea. He played under nine different managers, impressing the likes of Luiz Felipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti, remaining the number one choice keeper throughout.
Eventually edged out by Belgian Thibaut Courtois, Cech joined London rivals Arsenal in the summer of 2015. He kept a club record 228 clean sheets, and will be fondly remembered by all Chelsea fans.
Next: Gianfranco Zola