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Is Begovic the cover Chelsea need?

Having begrudgingly sold Petr Cech to Arsenal in the summer, Chelsea fans were left wondering just how much of a blow it would be to the club to lose such an influential member of their squad. While there weren't many who could argue when Thibaut Courtois replaced Cech as first-choice keeper following Jose Mourinho's return to the club, selling the 33-year-old to a fellow title rival didn't go down well with all Chelsea fans despite the arrival of Asmir Begovic from Stoke.

Strengthening another Premier League side is one thing, but the real worry has been just what position the club would be in if Courtois suffered injury or suspension.

The signing of Begovic for a reported £8 million went some way to easing those concerns, and the Bosnian international didn't have to wait long before making his competitive debut, with Courtois sent off in Chelsea's first game of the season against Swansea opening the door for the keeper to make an immediate impression.

Begovic stepped up to the mark in his first Premier League fixture for Chelsea but despite making several key saves, he was ultimately powerless to stop Manchester City from decimating the Blues 3-0 in what was considered to be a huge early season match between title rivals.

The Blues' productive summer in the transfer market, which included the signing of Begovic, saw a lot preseason buzz from news sites such as Blue Square tipping Mourinho's men to be among the favourites for the title this year.

Despite his shaky start to life in London, Begovic has shown throughout his career in the Premier League that he is one of the most consistent goalkeepers in England and Chelsea fans shouldn't be writing him off after the recent metldown at the Etihad.

There are some who feel the 28-year-old would be a first-choice keeper had he moved to almost any other club in Europe, and having a stopper of Begovic's stature waiting in the wings should give Chelsea belief that they are able to match any other club in the world in terms of shot-stopping quality.

While the former Portsmouth youngster is likely to return to the bench when Courtois returns from his suspension, Begovic was one of the few Chelsea players to come out of the 3-0 thumping at the hands of The Citizens with any credit. It was widely received that Begovic couldn't be blamed for any of them, catching the eye with a number of smart stops playing behind a defence that won't have many worse days this season.