Chelsea is in safe hands with Petr Cech if anyone cares to listen

Petr Cech has been appointed as the technical and performance adviser. Chelsea will be in safe hands if anyone listens to his advice.

It has not been much of a secret that upon his retirement, Petr Cech would be returning to Chelsea is some capacity. Now it is official as Cech becomes Chelsea’s technical and performance adviser. It is not quite the technical director role that has remained empty since Michael Emenalo departed, but it still holds a great deal of influence.

Per Chelsea’s own statement, Cech will provide advice and link up the various departments of Chelsea. In particular, he will look to foster the link between the first team and the academy as well as the first team and the board.

All these things have been sorely missing since Emenalo left (and some would argue, while he was at the club) but they are all predicated on one thing: that Cech is listened to. Cech’s role is only effective if his advice is taken. Overtime that may change, but that is how the role is currently shaped.

The main link Cech will serve will be between Marina Granovskaia and the manager (surely Frank Lampard). This type of go between has been missing since Emenalo left and is likely a large part of the fallout between Antonio Conte and the board. In this capacity, Cech will be able to take Lampard’s advice on matters and bring them to Granovskaia. He will also take Granovskaia’s concerns to Lampard.

The connection between Lampard and Cech will be no issue. Cech will not try to back seat manage his former teammate as he travels with the squad. He will merely observe as he looks to shape a long term vision for the club.

It is the link from Granovskaia’s side that will be most vital. After all, Cech reports to her and ultimately the board will have the final say on big decisions. Cech can advise and bring information from Lampard, but that will be the extent of it. His success in the role will be solely down to whether his advice is taken or not (and if it proves the right decision if taken).

The way the role is framed, it is implied that Cech might eventually become a full technical director with total control over the club’s vision. But in its current state, he can merely make suggestions. That will limit his influence unless he is quickly trusted in the decision making process.

Cech in this type of role makes sense with Lampard as manager. Neither will step on the other’s toe and they will trust and respect what the other has to say. But Cech’s influence will deteriorate in its current form if anyone else is manager. In that situation he would very much just be a go between of information and less of an adviser.

Does the language of the role imply a change in direction for Chelsea? Possibly. Cech and Lampard can work in tandem in a way that would not be possible with someone else. Both were around during Chelsea’s greatest period and they could shape the club together with Granovskaia’s signature. And it is unlikely that she would have passed off these duties so long after Emenalo’s departure if she did not trust Cech herself.

Cech’s role will rely on him maintaining good relationships with everyone at the club and then tying them all together and pointing them in one direction. So long as his advice is listened to, the club can count itself in his safe hands once again.