QPR sign former Everton and Chelsea keeper Begovic despite Luton interest
Former Chelsea, AC Milan and Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begović has joined Championship side QPR on a one-year deal following the expiration of his contract at Everton this summer.
The 36-year-old goalkeeper had been heavily linked with a move to Luton after becoming a free agent, but has instead been given the number one jersey by R’s head coach Gareth Ainsworth following Seny Dieng’s decision to join fellow second tier side Middlesbrough.
On why chose to head to the west London club, Begovic, who has played over 350 games during his career, winning the Premier League while at Stamford Bridge, told the R’s official website: “It’s something that’s been worked on the past few weeks and I am really excited to be here and can’t wait to get started.
“In this day and age with social media it’s difficult to keep these secrets, but out of all the conversations I had with different clubs I really felt this was the right move for myself and my family.
“To see the positive reaction from the fans was really exciting but now the hard work starts.
“We have to make sure we hit the ground running on the training ground and in friendlies to have a really good start to the season.”
Being first choice at QPR was a big factor for the ex-Bosnia & Herzegovina international too, as he added: “I always prepared to play and be ready.
“If you can stay ready, then you never have to be ready.
“That’s a really good saying that I like to live by and something that is very important to me.
“My mentality has never changed, I always see myself as No.1 and I really want to come here and make a difference.”
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Luton Town – The Reece Burke Appearance Poll Result Revealed
One abiding memory of what was a fantastic season relates to our centre-back Reece Burke
Sat on the bench, just four minutes into the crucial Play-Off Final, Tom Lockyer collapsed stricken on the pitch.
For a moment a hush spread around what had been a vibrant Wembley Stadium.
Ushered to warm up, by Rob Edwards, Reece was introduced into the action in the most unfortunate of circumstances and a lot earlier than expected.
But Reece never let anyone down, never putting a foot wrong and marshalled the defence with confidence.
With Premier League status now bestowed upon our fine club, the Hatters hierarchy are recruiting, sensibly, to ensure we stand the best chance possible of retaining that Premier League status for at least another season, and hopefully more.
But, as the season approaches, competition for the back three, in the formation we expect Rob Edwards to play, is fierce, with the gaffer able to select any three from – Tom Lockyer, Gabe Osho, Amari’i Bell, Reece Burke and Mads Andersen.
Selecting any three from five gave me the perfect opportunity to post a poll, with the question reading:
It was option B that proved to be the most popular attracting 58% of the votes cast, closely followed by option A with receiving 31% with option C trailing home with 11% of the vote.
With a quintet of centre-backs to choose from, Rob Edwards has a difficult job keeping all five happy but as it is often said, competition for places is a healthy problem to have.
