Bournemouth Opinion: Why Jack Butland will be a top fit at Bournemouth
According to the Telegraph, Bournemouth are ready to use Asmir Begovic as a makeweight in their bid to sign Stoke City goalkeeper Jack Butland. But Stoke are demanding a fee of £30million for their star shot-stopper, who is keen on a return to the Premier League.
Jack Butland, 26, stayed loyal to Stoke after relegation from the Premier League last year. However, he needs to find a home in England’s top-flight after Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions boss, has told the goalkeeper he needs to play at the highest level to stay in his plans for the national team.
The 26-year-old shot-stopper has featured 42 times for the Potters this season, keeping 17 clean sheets. But his work between the sticks has done very little favour to his team, as Stoke are 16th in the table and is set to miss out a place in the play-offs.
That should make things easier for Bournemouth to get Butland in the summer, although they simply cannot folk out £30million for his services. Instead, they are ready to offer Begovic as a part of the swap deal and that appears to be feasible at the moment.
Begovic has been Bournemouth’s first-choice goalkeeper ever since he signed from Chelsea in the summer of 2017. However, he lost his place in the team earlier this year due to a string of underwhelming performances between the sticks, as manager Eddie Howe preferred Artur Boruc ahead of the Bosnian from January 2019.
Boruc produced some really good performances under the bar, but once he started leaking in goals, Howe was forced to restore Begovic in his team. Well, interest in Butland clearly suggests Howe has lost his faith in Begovic and wants to get rid of the Bosnian. Also, Boruc is 39 and out of contract at the end of the season, meaning Bournemouth indeed need a new glovesman from the next season.
And Butland would be an ideal fit at the Vitality Stadium. He is an experienced Premier League goalkeeper, having previously made 77 appearances for Stoke City.
Standing at 6ft 5in, the England international is dominant in the box, has great reflexes and is good with the ball at his feet. The former Birmingham City man is exceptionally quick off his line and a good organiser of the backline.
Verdict
Without any second thoughts, Butland would represent a coup for Bournemouth if they manage to land him in the summer. On the other hand, Stoke would also get a safe pair of hands in Begovic, who spent six seasons at the then Britannia Stadium before joining Chelsea in July 2015.
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Hence, this will be a swap deal that should benefit all the parties involved.
