Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic insists he hasn’t joined Chelsea to be Thibaut Courtois’ understudy.
The 28-year-old signed for the Premier League champions on a four-year deal earlier last month following the departure of Petr Cech to Arsenal and is widely expected to play second fiddle to current No.1 Courtois.
However, Begovic isn’t following the same logic and is looking to force his way into Jose Mourinho’s plans having spent the last four years as Stoke City’s man between the sticks.
“I want to test myself against Thibaut. He’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world but I believe in myself. I want to try and get as many games as I can,” he is quoted as saying in The Guardian.
“Hopefully every time I can show everybody what I’m all about and ultimately help this team. We all have to play our part and at a club like this I think you get to do so.
“There have been no guarantees. The challenge that’s here, the manager and players, was what attracted me and that was a big part of my decision. I’ll back myself, absolutely. I’ll be keeping my head down and working hard to see how I can help this team in the future.”
The Bosnia international has developed into one of the finest goalkeepers in the Premier League over the last four years. In fact, only Simon Mignolet (439) has made more saves in the Premier League than Begovic during that time (379).
For more stats on Asmir Begovic, click here to visit his WhoScored player page