Player says things haven’t gone as planned since signing for Chelsea, but there’s ‘no regrets’

 

Asmir Begovic has experienced a big change in his career since moving from Stoke City to Chelsea in 2015.

Besides the different ambitions of the two clubs, the goalkeeper had to get used to be sitting on the Blues’ bench, with Thibaut Courtois being first choice.

Although Chelsea paid around £9m for him, Begovic has made only 31 appearances for them since his move from Stoke, and the lack of starts was the main subject of an interview with Bosnian outlet Klix on Wednesday.

On getting more games for Chelsea, the 29-year-old insists the team comes first: “It’s hard, there’s no secret, every footballer in the world wants to play as much as possible. There is no certain philosophy, work hard, do my best… the most important thing is the fact the club is doing well.”

Questioned about the dilemma between being a starter at Stoke City or a reserve at Chelsea, the goalkeeper explained: “If you ask me if I regret the transfer to Chelsea, my answer is no. In Stoke I was fine, I enjoyed playing for them, but after all this time I needed something new, a new challenge.

“At this point, Chelsea were champions of England, it’s one of the best organised clubs in the world and there weren’t big doubts. Things have evolved a little differently than planned, but I do not regret my decision.”