Petr Cech returning to Chelsea will become a great move in time

Chelsea legend Petr Cech is shortlisted for a role at Chelsea after retirement. The move would be great in time as he learns new roles.

Chelsea has been without a technical director for a ridiculous 536 days. Michael Emenalo, the man to last hold the post, has already found and been frozen out and all but sacked by his next club. The absence has gone on so long that initially, Frank Lampard was mentioned as a candidate with Michael Ballack.

Ballack has never stopped being mentioned but if Chelsea wanted him to be the technical director, he would have been long ago. Marina Granovskaia has been holding the duties of the technical director in addition to her own club director duties since Emenalo left.

But now, with retirement rapidly approaching, Petr Cech is supposedly shortlisted to take “some” parts of the role in a job with a brand new title. It is a move that could eventually become a great one, but hits the same initial issues that Ballack and Lampard linked to technical director duties had.

It would be a great move because Chelsea has largely struggled to make room for their legends at the club. John Terry is the assistant manager at Aston Villa. Lampard snagged Jody Morris as they both went off to Derby County. Ballack seems to have remained interested in some role for years but it has never materialized. Didier Drogba pops up occasionally but he seems no closer to a Chelsea role than anyone else.

Cech taking some technical director duties would change that. Roman Abramovich gratefully allowed Cech to depart for rivals Arsenal due to his service at the club. That move may now be rewarded by Cech’s loyalty upon return.

Cech would bring a calming and incredibly intelligent voice to high levels of the Chelsea staff. It is still unclear what roles of the technical director he would have, but regardless he would have some level of great influence.

The main point worth sticking to, however, is the same one Lampard and Ballack had; what makes him more qualified than someone else? Sure, Cech knows Chelsea and the DNA that made the club successful. But does he know how to scout a teenager and tell they can make it at Chelsea? Can a manager ask for a target with certain attributes and he can find the perfect one for the manager and the club?

And initially, all the answers to those questions will be “no one knows” or just plain “no”. But that is why it is good the role he is supposed to be handed is not a full technical director role. That allows for wiggle room where Cech can learn the ins and outs of the role or at the very least, learn how to direct the right people to do as he needs.

Cech coming back would be fantastic and could open the flood gates for more Chelsea legends to return. Just do not expect it to plug all the holes right away. Cech, as intelligent as he is, has not shown why he could do this role yet. But he can learn and once he does, he could do a fantastic job and lead Chelsea into a new era.