Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher thinks very highly of one former Chelsea player, hailing him as one of the best ever in his position.
Down the years, Chelsea have had some exceptional footballers, including the likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Petr Cech.
That quartet won three Premier League titles playing alongside each other, with the first one coming 20 years ago.
Kelleher, who had been linked to Chelsea before his move from Liverpool to Brentford in the summer, is a huge fan of one of them.
Brentford goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher raises arm
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Caoimhin Kelleher names Petr Cech as the second best goalkeeper in Premier League history
Kelleher was recently asked to name the top five goalkeepers of the Premier League era, with the 26-year-old ranking Cech second.
In his eyes, only Manchester United legend Peter Schmeichel was a better shot-stopper than the retired Czech Republic international.
Right now, Robert Sanchez is Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper, and he has performed well in the Blues’ last couple of Premier League matches.
The Spaniard kept a clean sheet against Nottingham Forest last time out and only conceded one goal in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Kelleher’s former side Liverpool.
Sanchez has received criticism this season, largely because of an early red card he picked up in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United. The ex-Brighton & Hove Albion star is nowhere near Cech’s level.
Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech during League Cup final
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Petr Cech’s Premier League record
Cech easily makes the list for the top five goalkeepers in Premier League history and is in with a shout of being No.1. The stats back him up.
After spells at both Chelsea and their London rivals Arsenal, who bought him for just £10m, Cech recorded 207 clean sheets in English football’s top division.
Petr Cech’s Premier League record Total
Appearances 443
Goals conceded 367
Clean sheets 207
Yellow cards 6
Red cards 1
Via Transfermarkt
If Enzo Maresca had a goalkeeper of that calibre right now, Chelsea would be challenging for the title.
That is not to say that Sanchez is not a capable keeper, but again, the Spain international cannot be compared to the Chelsea legend.