Asmir Begovic Officially Completes Transfer to Chelsea

Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic completed a move to Chelsea on July 13, signing a four-year contract to replace Petr Cech as Thibaut Courtois' understudy.

According to John Percy of the Daily Telegraph, the Blues will pay £8 million for Begovic, who has just a year remaining on his contract with Stoke.

Begovic moved to the Britannia Stadium in February 2010 from Portsmouth and has since established himself as one of the Premier League's most consistent keepers.

His saves stats in recent seasons are second only to Liverpool's Simon Mignolet, per WhoScored.com:

As a Chelsea player, he will likely be called into action less often, but the stakes will be higher, and his distribution will be a key asset at Stamford Bridge.

Furthermore, he will have to get used to playing second fiddle to Courtois—who is currently the undisputed No. 1 for manager Jose Mourinho—and take his opportunities when they are offered. 

As far as Stoke are concerned, Jack Butland is reportedly set to be promoted to first-choice goalkeeper, with Shay Given moving from Aston Villa to be the Englishman's understudy, per talkSPORT's Ian Abrahams:

The loss of Begovic will be a big blow for Stoke, but with Cech now at Arsenal, Chelsea have found an ideal replacement.

Begovic is experienced in the Premier League and a more than capable back-up in between the posts for the cup competitions—or should Courtois get injured.