Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has admitted he is "not happy" to see his former teammate Petr Cech preparing for the new season with a local rival after the Czech Republic keeper secured a move to Arsenal.
Blues manager Jose Mourinho suggested he would have blocked Cech's proposed move to Arsenal if he had the final say on the transfer, but the goodwill of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to allow the keeper to stay in London meant his move to the Gunners was rubber-stamped.
"Petr is a great guy and a great keeper. It is going to be a very important signing for them," Matic told reporters. "But I am not happy because of that. We know that he is very professional. He is one of the best keepers and I hope this season he does not perform as he did here for 10-11 years.
"I am happy for him because he gets to stay in London, which for him and his family was very important. I wish him all the best."
Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic was philosophical when he was quizzed on Cech's move to Arsenal, as he offered up this tribute to a player he has played alongside for so long.
"This is football, he wanted to play," Ivanovic stated. "I can say only 500 times thank you to him -- he gave us so much pleasure to enjoy the history of the club, winning trophies.
"As a person we will miss him in the changing room. His decision was he wanted to play and I wish him all the best personally. Just try not to win any trophies!"
Meanwhile, Matic suggested Chelsea are prepared for anything their Premier League rivals will throw at them in the new season, as he suggests the reigning champions are determined to defend their crown.
"We are ready for everything. I think last year Man United, City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham also had good teams, very good teams," added Serbian international Matic.
"I think our team was champion and a team that are champions are ready for everything. I think we have enough.
"There is always space so it doesn't matter what is going to happen in this market, we are ready.
"Maybe other teams will sign lots of players but that maybe worse for them. It is sometimes better to stay with the same team, for stability. The manager said we have to win everything. So we know what we have to do."