COMMENT: Joe Mourinho will be seething. He may've accepted Roman Abramovich's decision. He may even agree with it. But that doesn't mean he's happy.
In an instant, as soon as Petr Cech inked his contract, a shift in power occurred from Chelsea to Arsenal.
John Terry, the Chelsea captain, spoke last week of Cech being worth "12-15 points" to Arsenal. But the repercussions of Abramovich's decision, no matter how kindhearted, go much deeper than that.
Twelve months ago, Mourinho boasted the best goalkeeping stocks in the game. He had Cech, the newly signed Thibaut Courtois, Aussie veteran Mark Schwarzer and England youth international Jamal Blackman. No club in Europe could match what Mourinho had built.
But today, Cech has moved across London, Schwarzer is on the books at Leicester City and Blackman, now 21, has just the one first team appearance to his name. The message to Courtois is simple: Stay fit!
In contrast, at Arsenal, even if David Ospina does choose to leave upon his return from the Copa America, Wojciech Szczesny has made it clear he's staying at London Colney, happy to work with the club's new No1. So, unlike messrs Terry and Gary Cahill, should Cech ever break down, the Gunners' back four will not be forced to 'break in' a new keeper. The promotion of Szczesny will be seamless. It's one less selection headache for Arsene Wenger and his coaching staff.
But across town, Mourinho is having to start again. It's not just about finding cover for Courtois, but recruiting a keeper capable of pushing the Belgian day-after-day at training. Courtois has made it no secret that while he almost resented the constant pressure from Cech, he finished the campaign a much better goalkeeper for the competition. It's exactly how the relationship between Cech and now Szczesny will develop - and they'll both be better for it.
There will be turning points next season. The race for the title promises to be as competitive as ever. Should injury or suspension ever hit Courtois, how will a Chelsea back four handle working with a keeper unfamiliar to them? Indeed, how will the Stamford Bridge crowd handle such a situation, especially if the new man doesn't get off to a positive start?
And it doesn't end with Cech. Arsenal have room on their staff for a new keeper coach after Tony Roberts' departure. He's left for Swansea City to again work with Lukasz Fabianski. Christophe Lollichon, who followed Cech to Chelsea from Rennes, has kept his cards close to his chest. But all signs are that it's only a matter of days before his London Colney move is confirmed.
Since winning the Treble with Inter Milan, having a strong keeper's group has become a bedrock of Mourinho's squad building.
He and Florentino Perez, the Real Madrid president, almost fell out during his first season in Spain after he demanded the signing of Diego Lopez. Mourinho had seen enough of Real's keeper stocks, convinced they were doing Iker Casillas no favours by offering no threat to his No1 status. But Florentino refused Mourinho's request, insisting the club captain was 'untouchable'.
Eighteen months on and the president finally relented. Lopez, a former Castilla graduate, returned and Casillas' career was never the same. Those Madrid pundits who claimed Mourinho simply 'had it in' for Casillas were left eating their words when his successor, Carlo Ancelotti, saw the same problems as the Chelsea manager.
Mourinho will not want Courtois to go the same way.
Monday's offer to Stoke City for Asmir Begovic made clear Mourinho's intentions: he wants a top class, English-speaking keeper with Premier League experience. But persuading a player of those attributes to play second fiddle is another matter. Begovic, for the moment, is understandably reluctant.
Robert Green, QPR's former England keeper, has also been mentioned. But he would arrive with Courtois knowing he was no threat to his first-choice status.
Mourinho, suddenly, has a fresh problem to overcome.
It's a dilemma Wenger has happily avoided - all thanks to Mr Abramovich and his kind heart.