Asmir Begovic Completes Transfer to Bournemouth from Chelsea

Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has moved to Bournemouth, rejoining the club after a previous loan spell in 2007.

The Cherries announced the news via Twitter:

Begovic spent two seasons with the Blues after joining from Stoke City.

Despite facing the role of being the west London side's back-up stopper, he made 25 appearances in his first campaign thanks to Thibaut Courtois suffering an injury and later picking up a suspension after being sent off against Manchester City.

However, aside from two Premier League outings, he was restricted to appearances in the EFL Cup and the early rounds of the FA Cup this year; when the Blues faced Manchester United in the quarter-finals, he was replaced with Courtois. In total, he made just eight appearances.

The 29-year-old had been with Stoke for five years prior to moving to Stamford Bridge, and he established a reputation as an excellent and highly consistent Premier League goalkeeper with the Potters.

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As one would expect from a goalkeeper who spent a significant portion of his career in England playing under former Stoke manager Tony Pulis, Begovic isn't easily intimidated by attacking players at set pieces, and he's comfortable dealing with crosses into the box.

His reflexes are strong, which—combined with his size—make him difficult to beat, particularly in one-on-one situations.

At his age, he's still got plenty more time left at the top level, and he's shown he can be a dependable No. 1 or an outstanding back-up in equal measure.

Chelsea will need a reserve stopper, but with rumours swirling around Begovic since January, manager Antonio Conte likely didn't sanction the sale without a plan in his mind.