Charlton Athletic should go all out to secure transfer of 63-cap international: View | OneFootball

Charlton Athletic should look to secure the signing of Asmir Begovic after reported interest at beginning of the summer.

Nathan Jones will hope the busy start to Charlton Athletic’s transfer window continues as the club prepares for the new League One season.

This is Jones’ first summer transfer window in charge of the Addicks after he took over at The Valley midway through last season, and it is now the ideal opportunity for the Welshman to make the necessary changes he sees fit, as the club hopes he can deliver promotion to the second tier.

Charlton have already been busy bringing in seven new players, but it could have possibly been eight by now, given that the League One side had an interest in signing Asmir Begovic at the start of the transfer window.

Begovic is currently a free agent after leaving Queens Park Rangers at the end of last month following the expiration of his contract.

The 37-year-old joined the R's last summer on a free transfer after leaving Everton, meaning it was just a single season in West London for the Bosnian.

While he still remained a QPR player, it was reported by West London Sport that teams such as Newcastle United and West Ham United were interested in signing Begovic as a backup, homegrown goalkeeper option, as well as teams from Saudi Arabia keeping an eye on him.

But according to local reporter Richard Cawley, Begovic was also of interest to Charlton at the start of this summer, presumably to carry on his career as a first-choice stopper, but it hasn’t stated whether that interest still exists.

This may surprise Charlton fans, given that the goalkeeper is nearing the end of his career and has been playing at a high level for the majority of his football life.

However, if interest still remains in Begovic, the League One side should be doing all they can to secure his signing.

Asmir Begovic has previous League One experience

Many people may be surprised to hear that Begovic has indeed played in League One during his career, despite being a regular player in the Premier League in recent times.

The Bosnian started his career at Portsmouth, but his first appearance in League One came when he was sent out on loan to AFC Bournemouth in the 2007/08 season.

Begovic played eight times in the division that season for the Cherries before he returned to Pompey a few months later. Then in the same season, the goalkeeper was sent out on loan once again to League One, but this time to Yeovil Town, where he played just twice in the league.

He returned to Yeovil the following campaign on loan once again, but it was a much more productive loan for the shot-stopper, as he played 14 games for the club, conceding 22 and keeping three clean sheets.

2008/09 was the last time that Begovic played in League One, capping his appearances at 24 matches in that division, conceding 36 goals overall and keeping five clean sheets, as per Transfermarkt.

As previously stated, Charlton have brought in seven new players so far in this window, with one of those additions being goalkeeper Will Mannion, who has joined on a free transfer from Cambridge United.

Mannion is probably seen as a like-for-like replacement for Lewis Ward, who left the club last month to join AFC Wimbledon.

The Addicks now have three goalkeepers in their squad: Ashley Maynard-Brewer, Harry Isted, and Mannion, but Isted is set to depart for league rivals Burton Albion, giving Jones more of a need to bring in a first-choice goalkeeper.

And that addition being Begovic could really help Charlton - not just on the pitch but off it as well.

At 37, Begovic knows he hasn’t got many more seasons in him, so the likelihood is that he is going to be thinking about his next steps in football.

Therefore, this could be perfect for Charlton, as adding the Bosnian to their squad wouldn’t only give them an excellent option between the sticks, but he is someone who is vastly experienced and can help nurture players like Maynard-Brewer, who will hope to continue being the club’s number one going forward.

Firstly, Begovic is still a very good goalkeeper, as shown last season. He made a total of 123 saves last season, 45 of which came from shots outside the box, and he was also averaging 2.7 per game.

Begovic was a key contributor to QPR beating the drop last season, as shown by keeping 13 clean sheets, as per Sofascore.com.

So, Charlton wouldn’t be just adding some goalkeeper who is looking to sit on the bench and see out the rest of his career. Begovic would be looking to continue playing football as much as he can, and this would give Jones a very good dilemma to have.

Begovic’s arrival could be a great thing for Charlton’s goalkeeping department, as the other players can lean on his experience of Championship and Premier League football, but his arrival could spur the players on to do better, as competition is greater.

The wages of Begovic may be a big issue in any deal getting completed, but if there is interest from both parties - and let's not forget that the Bosnian no longer earns a salary and cannot command the big wages he would've been on in his prime the Premier League - then Charlton should be looking to strike a deal, as it can only help them for the season ahead.