Yeovil Town loan target Asmir Begovic has signed a three year contract with Premier League side Portsmouth that will keep him at Fratton Park until 2011.
Begovic is so far the only name the club has mentioned in connection with a first choice goalkeeping replacement for Steve Mildenhall, although the club do have former Nice keeper Pierre Antoine Martini training at Huish Park.
Other names on the rumourmill include ex-Millwall and Swindon Town keeper Rhys Evans and Crystal Palace and former Glovers loan player Scott Flinders, although the club have not made any comment regarding these two players.
Speaking to the Pompey official site about his contract signing, Begovic also had positive words about former Glovers keeper David Coles, who is the Premier League side's goalkeeping coach:
"That’s one of the best things about being here – you get good training. David Coles, our goalkeeping coach, has probably been one of the biggest factors in helping me to develop and progress. He’s been huge. It’s a gradual thing, I started here with the youth team, then I was training with the first team and now I need to become established and go out and play and keep pushing up. That’s what I want to keep trying to do."
Begovic also spoke of the problems he faced in trying to compete with England keeper David James and admitted that a loan deal could be an option for him this forthcoming season:
"Competing for a place in the team is one of the most difficult things about being a keeper. If you’re an outfield player, there are always chances for you to play even if you don’t play every week, with formation changes, injuries and suspensions. But with goalkeepers, it’s always the one guy. There are usually two or three in the squad and that’s why if you don’t play, you like to go out on loan so that you can get experience and keep yourself sharp. But being patient is just a thing that goalkeepers have to be. It’s hard with someone as good as David James in front of you, but it’s good to see what he does, to learn from him. He’s England’s number one. He works hard, has different ways of doing things and you pick things up from him. We have a good relationship."
Begovic's contract signing shouldn't be seen as a negative to the Glovers acquiring him on loan for the season, although the length of the deal gives an indication as to how highly Harry Redknapp rates the Bosnian-born Canadian. In fact the Glovers much trailed plan of going into the 2008-09 season relying on a loan goalkeeper possibly takes a step nearer completion. With Begovic's future at Pompey now settled and out of the way it should be that Yeovil's negotiations for a season long loan can now make progress.
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9 July 2008 : 
