Chelsea made a bit more room in their squad today, confirming the imminent departure of Asmir Begovic and Dominic Solanke. Neither come as a surprise, and both are strong moves for the players.
Asmir Begovic is en route to Bournemouth for £10 million, where he will finally see the playing time he deserves. After two years as the ultimate security blanket in Chelsea’s roster – standing always ready to replace Thibaut Courtois at a moment’s notice – Begovic will likely become Bournemouth’s starter next season.
Courtois’ quality was always going to keep Begovic planted on Chelsea’s bench. The Bosnian had to rely on Courtois’ body or discipline breaking down to scavenge Premier League appearances. In 2015/16, made 15 starts through Courtois’ injuries or suspensions.
This season, though, Begovic played in the league only twice. Begovic started against Manchester United when Courtois was unavailable, and then in the dead rubber match against Watford. Sadly for fans’ memory of Begovic, he allowed five goals between the two games.
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Despite his leakiness in those games Begovic still played a significant role in Chelsea’s title run. Chelsea and Antonio Conte needed the security – psychological as well as tactical – that comes from knowing you have a goalkeeper of Premier League starter quality on the bench at all times. Conte never needed to worry about rotating Courtois to protect him from injury, or fret the “what if” of a Courtois injury. If at any moment Begovic needed to fill in for Courtois for a prolonged period, Chelsea’s title pursuit would remain alive and well.
At 29 years old, Begovic still has many prime years as a goalkeeper left to play. He has played his entire professional career in England, and could well emerge as one of the league’s top keepers.
Much of that will depend on how Bournemouth reinforce their defence. They finished 9th in the Premier League but allowed the fifth-most goals (67). If they want to take the next step in their progression towards challenging for a Europa League spot, they need to tighten up at the back.
Asmir Begovic can play a significant role, but will need support in front of him. Perhaps he will put in a word for Nathan Ake to join him at the Vitality Stadium.
At the other end of the pitch and age range, Sky Sports also confirmed that Dominic Solanke will move to Liverpool. A tribunal will decide Chelsea’s compensation, expected to be £3 million.
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Because Solanke is a development player at the end of his first professional contract, Chelsea will receive “compensation” rather than a “transfer fee.” SkySports notes that the involvement of a tribunal implies that Chelsea offered Solanke an extension, which Solanke apparently rejected.