Chelsea FC have announced the signing of Asmir Begovic from Stoke City in an £8m deal. The Bosnian goalkeeper signed a four-year contract on Monday, making him the club’s second acquisition of the Summer.
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"“Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Asmir Begovic from Stoke City.”Chelseafc.com"
Begovic comes in to replace club legend Petr Cech, who recently moved to London rivals Arsenal. He will also wear the no.1 jersey vacated by Cech, while Thibaut Courtois will continue wearing no.13.
Chelsea confirm £8m signing of Asmir Begovic from Stoke. By @domfifield http://t.co/PBavldU5Av pic.twitter.com/KVaUMU9vvk
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) July 13, 2015
The 6ft 6in stopper enjoyed a fantastic five-and-a-half-year career between the sticks for Stoke, becoming one of the best — and most wanted — keepers in the Premier League. Chelsea couldn’t have gotten a better replacement for the departed Cech.
The Bosnian is expected to compete for the starting role with Courtois, despite coming in as an understudy. Speaking to the Chelsea official website, he expressed delight in joining the reigning Premier League champions.
“I am very happy to be joining Chelsea FC. After speaking at length to the manager, I feel like I can develop here and be an important part of this team. I am looking forward to meeting up with the team on Wednesday for the pre-season tour.”
“This is one of the best clubs in the world and it’s a dream for me to sign. Once I knew Chelsea were interested, and after speaking to Jose Mourinho at length, I knew this was where I wanted to be. It feels amazing and I’m absolutely thrilled.”
Begovic made 35 appearances for Stoke last season, keeping seven clean sheets and making 1.77 saves per game according to squawka.com. He has been a great performer since joining the Potters from Portsmouth, and will bring loads of talent and experience to the Chelsea squad.
He also gave some insight into what he does as a goalkeeper, describing his strengths and style of play.
“I’ve played against Chelsea a few times so I’m sure some of our fans know what I can do, but firstly I like to dominate the penalty area. I also try to control and communicate with my defenders, and the team in front of me, in order to make sure everything is organised.”
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“I like to be a calming influence and contribute in all areas. I enjoy taking crosses and being aggressive but it’s about being the best influence I can be on the defence and the whole team. I want to do everything I can to help us get results.”
Getting Begovic means that Chelsea are heading into next season much like they did into the last. They will still have the best goalkeeper duo in the League and Possibly Europe. A few more areas still need strengthening, but replacing Cech with such class speaks volumes of the team’s ambitions.