Stoke City: Asmir Begovic still has future, insists Tony Pulis
Stoke City: Asmir Begovic still has future, insists Tony Pulis
Tony Pulis: Asmir Begovic still has Stoke City future
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Tony Pulis says Asmir Begovic still has a future at Stoke City.
ASMIR Begovic has been told to forget about heading for the Brit exit door, despite the signing of England starlet Jack Butland.
Begovic said earlier this week he assumed he would be sold this summer following Butland's signing.
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But manager Tony Pulis insists Butland's signature on a four-and-a-half year contract does not signal a Begovic departure.
And he has rubbished suggestions there is already a deal in place to sell the £15m-rated Begovic at the end of the season.
"There's been a lot of talk about Begovic," said Pulis, "but no-one from the big clubs – Man United, Chelsea, Arsenal – have called me.
"There was no thought in my mind that we were bringing Butland in just in case Begovic went.
"We thought Butland was a great opportunity for the club to sign a top young goalkeeper.
'If United or someone else come in and offer an enormous amount of money for Begovic we'd have to look at it, but I haven't brought Butland in because of that."
He also warned Butland, who is not 20 until next month, he could be loaned out again next season if Begovic and Thomas Sorensen remain at the Britannia.
"We'd rather him be playing than kicking his heels," he explained. "He will do a pre-season with us and we'll take it from there."
Pulis says Butland is part of a nucleus of at least half-a-dozen younger players capable of keeping Stoke's future in safe hands.
"We're putting together a thread of youth. Look at Wilson, Shawcross, Nzonzi, Shea and Begovic. Add Butland to that and we've got players of really good ages."
However, Pulis revealed that one youngster, 22-year-old Matthew Lund, who recently returned from a loan spell at Bristol Rovers, will be released in the summer.
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