Following the sale of Petr Cech to Arsenal this summer, Chelsea have been in the market for a replacement. The Blues appear to have found their man in the shape of Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who had a fallout with manager Mark Hughes over a decision to start Jack Butland ahead of him for a league game last season, and is expected to be on his way this summer.
Stoke & Begovic would welcome the move ahead of the new season, and Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has long been keen on the 28-year-old. Signed from Portsmouth in 2010, Asmir Begovic rose to prominence with the Potters, and eventually saw his name being linked with the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal a couple of seasons previous.
He’s renown for his imposing frame that often sees him coming out on top when faced with one-on-ones, and his large reach that can see him claw away efforts destined for the top corner. Stoke City were blessed to have such a talented and consistent goalkeeper for so long, but reports are suggesting their long-serving number one is desperate to be Chelsea’s number two.
Belgian international Thibaut Courtois is Chelsea’s first choice between the sticks, with the talented youngster having kept the likes of Cech out of the side upon his return from a loan spell with Atletico Madrid. The 23-year-old has won back-to-back league titles while boasting the best defensive record with Atleti an Chelsea respectively, and doesn’t look likely of being dethroned next season.
Mourinho never leaves anything to chance with his goalkeeper’s, however, and will be signing a top quality deputy in Begovic this summer. The City man wouldn’t set the Londoners back too much either, with Mourinho looking to use some of the £11M received from Cech’s sale to fund Begovic’s move. He won’t have to surpass the figure to sign his second-choice goalkeeper.
For the long-serving Stoke shot-stopper, a new chapter of his career could be starting, with his future set to be resolved in the coming week. H’s happy to be on the bench in the league, but will be hoping he can feature in the domestic cups, as Cech did under Mourinho last season. Begovic is a very able goalkeeper, who would arguably be good enough to win the Premier League title as a first choice, but h has work to do to get his name ahead of Courtois’ in the pecking order.