Jose Mourinho Hopeful Petr Cech Stays at Chelsea

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is optimistic goalkeeper Petr Cech will remain at Stamford Bridge this season despite being overlooked as the club's No.1 this season behind Thibaut Courtois.

Courtois made his Blues debut in the 3-1 opening Premier League game win over Burnley at Turf Moor, with the Belgian set to occupy the role for the majority of the campaign.

Despite having what Mourinho calls "two of the best three goalkeepers in the world" the Chelsea boss is confident of keeping both players in west London.

"He's not my first choice for the rest of the season," he said. "He was my first choice today and he played well enough to be my first choice for the next game.

"I want to keep Petr and the club wants to keep him. Hopefully he stays. No player is happy when he's not playing every game. I know Petr for 10 years and I know he will not relax.

"He will be the opposite. I'm expecting him to go to the training ground on Wednesday, be a top professional and fight to be back in goal."

Following his move from Rennes in 2004, Cech displaced Carlo Cudicini as the Chelsea No.1 and has occupied the role with distinction for the last decade as the club have clinched a clean-sweep of trophies both domestically and in Europe.

The Czech Republic stopper is expected to seek a move away from Chelsea to ensure he is playing regular first-team football this term, but regardless of his future Mourinho doesn't expect Cech's professionalism to drop.

"Petr Cech was disappointed but football is sometimes like this, players can often be unhappy and be unhappy with managers," he added to Sky Sports. "But between the group of players and their mates they have to be supportive.

"I hope he doesn't want to go and I hope he doesn't have offers to go and if he does have offers he refuses to go. I would be delighted to have two of the best goalkeepers in the world in my squad."