Chelsea’s on-loan goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has claimed it “would not be healthy” for him to be in the same squad as the club’s first-choice keeper Peter Cech next season.
Courtois seems less than convinced that a return to parent club Chelsea would be a step forward in his career saying:
“The two of us want to play everything,” stated Courtois, who will line-up for Belgium at this summer’s World Cup finals. “Nobody will be happy to play in only the League Cup or FA Cup. Things are unclear at the moment.
“I have the biggest respect for Petr Cech. I think he was named as the best goalkeeper of the Premier League, so he is still at a great level. He is one of the best goalkeepers in the world so I think putting him and me in the same team is not the healthiest thing in the world.
“With the World Cup coming, I wanted this resolved quickly as I have to concentrate on that, but that was not possible. We will see in the next week if we can sit together with Chelsea to find something for next year, find out what they want, what my desire is. We will see.”
Courtois admitted he ‘felt strange’ to be a part of the Atletico side that knocked Chelsea out of this season’s Champions League at the semi-final stage, but he hopes he handled the second leg of the tie at Stamford Bridge in a professional manner.
“It was strange and weird knocking out Chelsea,” said Courtois. “Normally when you win a semi-final you celebrate really hard, but I didn’t do it because Chelsea bought me and gave me the opportunity to play for Atletico for three years.
“I think I showed respect to the Chelsea players and supporters and they to me. It was a nice feeling and hopefully I can give them those things back in the future.”
While Petr Cech has been a great servant to Chelsea, it is time for Mourinho to make the move to Courtois. He is probably the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment, at at 22 he is only going to get better.
His loan period at Atlético Madrid worked for both clubs as it gave Courtois the experience he needed. He in turn played a big role in winning the Europa League and La Liga titles and coming within two minutes of winning the Champions League. He has proven that he can handle the pressure of being the Chelsea No.1 and it is time for him to make his Premier League debut.
