Mourinho 'respects' Cech's decision to join Arsenal: 'Petr has been a great servant for Chelsea'

Jose Mourinho didn't want it to happen this way, but he understands - and respects - why it did.

Speaking for the first time since long-time Chelsea shot-stopper Petr Cech officially completed his transfer to Premier League rivals Arsenal, the Portuguese bench boss reflected on the Czech's time with the Blues, saying he supports his decision to play elsewhere.

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"I support the owner’s decision to honour the player in this way," Mourinho said on the club’s website. "Petr has been a great servant for Chelsea for 11 years and helped this club to win almost everything there is to win. I always said I wanted him to stay but I understand Petr needed to move on to play first-team football every week.

"Sometimes you have to respect the wishes of someone who has earned so much respect with his service and actions for your club. It is very rare in football to make a decision like this and for that reason I am proud of my club for making it. There are not many clubs in the world big enough to be able to make that decision. Petr’s success at this club will always ... be remembered and we thank him for everything he did."

Cech, 33, spent 11 trophy-laden seasons with Chelsea, many of them coming with Mourinho on the touchline.