Pulis blasts Begovic
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has hit out at goalkeeper Asmir Begovic after the Stoke player refused to play for the club in the Carling Cup.
Begovic is thought to be the subject of a £4 million transfer offer that has been made by Chelsea to Stoke. Chelsea want the goalkeeper as cover for Petr Cech who has already had injury problems this season.
Pulis is annoyed that the player refused to honour his contract with the club regardless of his motives behind the decision not to play. One of the possible suggestions is that Chelsea did not want him cup tied for the entire League Cup competition.
A player has a number of commitments to a club regardless of whether he is about to go and join another side. Begovic has not set a brilliant example to others and it's likely Stoke will now push the deal through quickly so the bad feeling can pass.
Bad decision
Begovic's decision was wrong for a number of reasons. Firstly, all players have a contract with their club and it is not right that the goalkeeper refused to play for the club that plays his wages. He knew this when he signed the contract and he should have honoured it.
Begovic is one of the best goalkeepers at Stoke. He was being tipped to replace Thomas Sorensen as the number one at the club for this season. By not playing he automatically increased the club's chances of conceding a goal because they had to play a lower quality player.
It's a bad decision because it suggests that external forces are having a big say in the way a player runs his life. Although it is not clear, an agent or outside individual may have told the goalkeeper not to play because it would mean he is cup tied when he ultimately joins Chelsea.
Pulis said: "I find that very disappointing. We pay his wages and he has a responsibility to the club. We have a lot of supporters who idolise this club and love it. We have a management team and people around who have been here a long time. They respect the club and like it as much as the supporters do."
A terrible example
Stoke City have a youth system and an academy just like any other top-flight club in England. Therefore Begovic has set a very negative example to younger members of the club.
This is negative for the club because Begovic has suggested that you can effectively do what you want, when you want and it doesn't really matter if you have signed a professional contract.
Pulis added: "We won't be giving him away and doing a deal because of what he has done. There has been interest from one or two clubs but nowhere near our valuation. We think he is a good goalkeeper and we want good players."
Betting advice
Fortunately for Stoke, Sorensen is a very experienced and quality goalkeeper who will have no problem holding down the number one place. However, there will be limited cover once a deal for Begovic has been worked out.
Even if a deal is not now done in the time that remains before the close of the transfer window, the club is going to be reluctant to pick him after the blatant snub he has just given the side.
A goalkeeper is much easier to replace than a key defender so don't read too much into this. If you were going to back Stoke in one of their next few matches then there's no reason for you not to do so.
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