"He has been outstanding" - Pundit issues verdict on QPR star amid Celtic interest | OneFootball

It's been an exciting few days for QPR supporters, with the West London outfit sealing their place in next season's Championship with a shock 4-0 win over Leeds United on Friday night.

Now that their second tier status has been confirmed, attention would have turned to building a squad for next season, and Marti Cifuentes might be looking to offer new contracts to some of his players.

One of QPR's out of contract players is veteran goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, and the former Bosnia and Herzegovina international has recently attracted interest from Scottish giants Celtic, with their current goalkeeper Joe Hart set to retire at the end of the season.

The 36-year-old has skippered the club this season, but it remains to be seen whether he'll be offered fresh terms to remain in West London next season.

Carlton Palmer on Asmir Begovic's future at QPR amid Celtic links

Former England international turned pundit Carlton Palmer believes that QPR should be pulling out all the stops to keep Begovic at Loftus Road now that the club's survival has been officially confirmed.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Palmer said: "Celtic’s Joe Hart is retiring after a fabulous career in the game. He’s been outstanding at every club he has been at, and has been a very consistent performer, so Celtic are looking for a replacement.

“Apparently they’re interested in QPR goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. He’s been outstanding for QPR this season, and he’s out of contract this summer, and he’s 36, nearly 37.

“Before survival they didn’t want to talk about who they wanted to keep, but now they’ve survived, I’m sure that they’ll be opening contract talks with Begovic, who has played 46 games this season. "As a goalkeeper, his age makes no difference, and I’m sure they’ll want to keep him in the building if they could.

"You can’t offer contracts until you know which league you’re going to be playing in. Now they know they’re going to be playing in the Championship, I’m sure Begovic is one of those that they’ll be wanting to tie down as soon as possible - he has been outstanding for them this season."

Asmir Begovic deserves a new deal at Loftus Road

Despite turning 37 this coming June, QPR should offer Asmir Begovic a new deal this summer.

The fact that clubs of Celtic's stature are keen on signing him shows that he's still performing well, and it's often hard to find reliable, consistent goalkeepers at Championship level.

Begovic is clearly a good influence around the club, and that's why he's been wearing the captain's armband this season, with both Gareth Ainsworth and Marti Cifuentes putting full faith in the Bosnian this season.

It remains to be seen if Begovic would be first choice at Loftus Road next season, but on reduced wages, offering the former Chelsea man an extended contract seems like a no-brainer.

His experience and leadership has proved invaluable through some difficult moments this season for the Hoops, and having someone like Begovic around the dressing room would be a huge boost for any club.

QPR fans may not be in full agreement with Palmer that Begovic has been fantastic all throughout the 2023-24 Championship season, but he has done decent enough and it explains Celtic's interest.