Football League World
·5 August 2024
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·5 August 2024
The Addicks have been pursuing the veteran shot-stopper, but it looks like nothing will come of it.
Charlton Athletic are set to miss out on the signing of former Queens Park Rangers and AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, who has been linked with a return to the Cherries and a move to Blackburn Rovers.
The South London Press' sports editor, Richard Cawley, has said that the Bosnia & Herzegovina glovesman is now no longer set to join the Addicks due to the two parties not being able to agree on financial terms.
Alan Nixon, a journalist for The Sun, had said, via his Patreon, that Begovic was set to stay in London, after his contract with QPR expired, and that he was getting closer to a move to the Valley. This followed initial reporting from the SLP editor which stated that Charlton's attraction to the veteran had existed since the start of the summer.
Staying in the nation's capital reportedly appealed to the 37-year-old, who had interest from elsewhere. His former side Bournemouth were one of the clubs that were said to be looking at the free agent, as well as the Championship's Blackburn Rovers, as per Nixon.
There were said to be issues with the latter proposal though. The geography of the latter was a bit of a sticking point for the keeper, whose base is much further south.
The ex-Premier League player is no longer looking likely to join up with the Addicks for the upcoming season. Harry Isted's move to Burton Albion has lightened Jones' keeping union a bit, but they do still have three mid-20s shot-stoppers in Ashley Maynard Brewer, Will Mannion and Daniel Potts.
Begovic would have brought a strong element of experience to the Welshman's defensive unit, but it appears as if his wage demands were just too much for the League One side.
He was estimated, by Capology, to be on £32,500 per week when he was at Loftus Road, which would be a mammoth wage packet in the third division.
The Addicks woefully underperformed last time out when they finished 16th in League One. But, after Jones was appointed, things did start to turn around a bit, and they are expected to be competing for the play-offs in what should be a very bulky pack of hopefuls.
Signings like Matty Godden, Luke Berry and Greg Docherty bring real quality to a team that already possessed quite a lot of it. Of course, the loss of Alfie May was a blow, but it's one that they should be able to recover from given the assets that they have.
That sale was one that they wouldn't have wanted to do, but they need to keep on offloading players because they have a very swollen squad.
In the long, turbulent seasons that tend to happen in the EFL, having a good amount of cover in each position is no bad thing. There's that and then there's what's going on at Charlton.
They have 30 first-team players on their books as things stand. Keeping a squad of that size happy is going to be almost impossible.
Sales and loans are going to be necessary for Jones so that he isn't overwhelmed by the sheer number of bodies in the dressing room.