One of the most linked player to other clubs this season has been Asmir Begović, the Bonsnian goalkeeper of Stoke, seemingly on the shortlist of every big club in the Premier League. This summer might be his last for The Potters, who won’t stand in his way if Chelsea or Liverpool make the right kind of offer for him.
According to the Daily Star, not the most prestigious of rumor mill resources, Stoke chairman Peter Coates won’t stand in the way of Begović if an offer of £15 million came along for the keeper who has been at the club since 2010, appearing 93 times, including all 38 matches this season, winning the Stoke City player of the year award for 2013.
Asmir is a super professional player. We like him very much. He is a top, top goalkeeper; I think he is as good as anybody in the Premier League. But he is also ambitious. If top clubs come in for your players, I do not think you can deny them the opportunity. But it would depend very much on the money being right. We are not looking to sell him.
So Stoke would love Begović to continue and be their goalkeeper, but when the big money and power comes knockin’ at your door, even if it’s Liverpool, who are more a name reminding many of past glory but less of current success, and especially if it’s a club like Chelsea.
In the case of Liverpool, trying to sign Begović isn’t surprising. The form of Pepe Reina over the last couple of seasons has been disappointing, declining along with the quality of his defense. There are rumors Barcelona might be interested in adding him to the team, but it’s all in the rumor mill stage of everything.
For Chelsea, things are a tad more complicated. Petr Cech might not be one of the best in the world anymore, but he’s still a first-team goalkeeper, as he has proved for Chelsea over the last couple of seasons. They also have the extremely talented Thibaut Courtois on loan at Atletico Madrid, and he has proven he’s one of the best in Europe this season, even at his young age.
Stoke won’t be so destroyed if they do lose Begović; the money would be great, while Jack Butland has been signed and he isn’t planning on remaining a bench player or loanee for long.