Premier League: Thibaut Courtois hoping to learn from Petr Cech at Chelsea

Thibaut Courtois would like to see Petr Cech remain at Chelsea so that he can benefit from the Czech Republic international's vast experience.

Doubt has been cast over Cech’s future at Stamford Bridge following the return of Courtois after three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid.

The Belgium international has seen his stock rise considerably during his time in Spain, with the 22-year-old now widely regarded as the finest young goalkeeper in world football.

Petr has had a really nice 10 years here. He’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world. You can learn a lot from every keeper you train with.

Chelsea appear ready to offer him a Premier League stage on which to perform, which would mean Cech being nudged down the pecking order after a decade of loyal service.

Whether the experienced shot-stopper is prepared to play back-up remains to be seen, with there likely to be no shortage of interest in his services if he becomes available, but Courtois is hoping that he and Chelsea can continue benefitting from Cech’s presence.

He told the club’s official website: “Petr has had a really nice 10 years here. He’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world. You can learn a lot from every keeper you train with.

“Every goalkeeper can have a type of thing they are usually good at so when you see them train you can learn from him and other keepers, too. It helps you during your training.

“I signed with Chelsea three years ago but because of the loan it took until Thursday to have my first training session, so I’m really happy to be here.”

Courtois also believes that Chelsea should be doing all they can to keep Cech because strength in depth is vital to any side harbouring ambitions of challenging on multiple fronts.

He added: “We have a really good team of players, a lot of quality – it will be a real battle to be in the starting XI. That’s good because if you want to win all the trophies in one season, you need a big group with a lot of quality.

“If there are only 12-13, you can’t achieve that. We need everybody and hopefully we can win the trophies.

“It’s great there is competition for places. With Belgium we experience the same thing. It helps the players improve and play even better.”