Jose Mourinho has spoken publicly for the first time since Petr Cech moved to Arsenal, accepting that it was the right time for the goalkeeper to leave, and thanking him for his work at Chelsea.

A significant contribution

Cech completed his £10 million transfer to the Gunners on Monday, bringing to an end his 11-year spell at Stamford Bridge. It was during this period that he established himself as one of the best goalkeepers to ever play in the Premier League, winning almost everything with Chelsea, including the UEFA Champions League back in 2012 with a dramatic victory on penalties against Bayern Munich.

Speaking of his departure, Mourinho hailed Cech as having been "a great servant for Chelsea for 11 years," labelling him as a key part of helping Chelsea "to win almost everything there is to win".

Last season proved to be a frustrating one

Thibaut Courtois' return from a loan spell at Atlético Madrid saw him overtake Cech as the club's number one choice in goal last season, as Chelsea were dominant in English football, winning the Premier League and League Cup double.

This saw Cech frustrated at being only a back-up to the Belgian, who did nothing to suggest that he deserved being dropped from the team. As a result of this, he expressed his desire to leave the club this summer.

Mourinho reluctantly accepted his wish, but didn't want to let the Czech Republic international move to a team in the same league.

However, club owner Roman Abramovich overruled the manager, allowing Cech to join fellow London club Arsenal. On this disagreement, Mourinho admitted that he "wanted Petr to stay, but understood that he felt he needed to play first-team football every week," and he insisted that he "supported the owner's decision to honour the player in this way".

"Sometimes you have to respect the wishes of someone who has earned so much respect with his service and actions for your club," added Mourinho.

Possible replacements

The search for a replacement for Cech has already begun, as Chelsea seek to defend their first league title in five years. Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has been muted as a possible replacement, as the Potters look to promote Jack Butland to their number one spot. The 28-year-old would cost a similar amount of money to what the Blues recieved for Cech, and could provide good competition for Courtois.