In a recent interview with Goodison News, former Everton player Kevin Campbell revealed that he was encouraged by his former club’s acquisition of Asmir Begovic this summer. Campbell said,
“Begovic is an experienced goalkeeper, very good number 2 and he won’t let anybody down if he comes in, so I think that would be a shrewd signing.”
Begovic’s Impressive Loan Spell At The Vitality Stadium
The 34-year-old had a solid campaign while on loan at Bournemouth as he produced a handful of solid displays for them in between the sticks. Begovic made 51 appearances for the Cherries last season, conceding 51 goals and securing 18 clean sheets across all competitions.
The Trebinje-born shot-stopper performed well to average 0.9 clearances and 4.1 long balls per game in the 2020-21 EFL Championship. However, he was a bit sloppy when distributing the ball from the back after completing 67.8% of his attempted passes in the English second division (stats via whoscored).
Begovic has a wealth of experience in Premier League football and could serve as a solid number two goalkeeping option under the tutelage of Rafael Benitez next season. Hence, Campbell might be right in claiming that the Bosnia-Herzegovina keeper would be ‘a shrewd signing’ for the Toffees ahead of the new campaign.
Will Begovic Be A Good Signing For Everton This Summer?
Begovic can still be a solid goalkeeper at the highest level as he has got decent reflexes that help him pull off some important saves at the back. He is proficient at making quick dives to deny the opposition a goal. The 63-time Bosnia-Herzegovina international is not afraid to put his foot through the ball when needed and can be a good handler of the ball when coming out to collect crosses and loose balls inside his penalty box.
The experienced custodian can be a safe pair of hands for Benitez to call upon when Jordan Pickford becomes unavailable for selection next season. Begovic is even good enough to rival Pickford for the right to start in Everton’s first team. Hence, he could turn out to be a decent signing by Benitez as long as the Spanish tactician can get the best out of him at the blue half of Merseyside.
At 34, Begovic might still have a few good years left in him, so we can expect him to be a useful member of the Toffees squad in the upcoming Premier League campaign. The former Portsmouth talent can expect to be a prominent feature for Everton in the domestic cup competitions which is precisely what Benitez needed before the start of the new season.
