EXCLUSIVE: Chris Beesley talks to Asmir Begovic about working alongside Jordan Pickford following his Everton return
Asmir Begovic has lifted the lid on his important supporting role in ensuring Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford remains at the top of his game. The 37-year-old returned for a second stint with the Blues this summer from Queens Park Rangers after having a previous two-year spell at Goodison Park between 2021-23.
With over 500 games under his belt for club and country, the former Bosnia and Herzegovina international is delighted to be back on Merseyside using his wealth of experience to help the 71-cap England international who has returned to Finch Farm to prepare for Saturday’s trip to Ipswich Town after a rare stint on the bench in Finland on Sunday evening with interim manager Lee Carsley insisting: “There was a case of getting a look at a few different players and we were always going to get a look at Dean (Henderson) in one of the games.” Begovic told the ECHO: “Jordan is definitely one of the best goalkeepers I’ve ever worked with. He’s a world class goalkeeper but most importantly he’s a great person and someone I consider to be a friend.
“We’re obviously work colleagues and professionals, but I’ve got a great relationship with him and nothing but the highest respect for him when it comes to working alongside him on a daily basis. I really enjoy it.
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“Jordan and I put a programme together but for me it’s about being a professional and setting standards, setting out a culture of working. We’re both working hard and pushing each other every single day.
“I think if you do that on a daily basis then the product will take care of itself when it comes to matchdays. I think it’s about doing those little things on a daily basis that are really important, showing a certain work ethic and that will rub off on other goalkeepers.
“My role now is more like a big brother role. If I can share any wisdom that’s great but it’s about setting those ethics and displaying that work ethic every day.”
Begovic cited the financial ‘realities’ that Everton were facing as being the reason for him leaving the club in summer 2023 but despite turning out 45 times in the Championship last season, he jumped at the chance to come back. He said: “It’s was quite simple really. I had a call from the club, asking if I’d be interested in coming back.
“I had a really enjoyable two years last time so all things considered, it was a pretty easy decision. It happened very, very quickly and I’m really glad I’m back, I’m enjoying being back and helping the club in any way I can.
“The group is a little bit different now, that’s just the nature of the game. Players have come and gone but the core of the club is still very much the same in terms of the personnel of the squad and the staff, which makes things easy, those are the kind of things that are important.
“They’re a great group of players and also the people behind the scenes as well.”
One significant change since Begovic’s previous spell is Scouser Billy Mercer, who worked for Sean Dyche as goalkeeper coach at Burnley, replacing Alan Kelly. Begovic said: “Those things have changed a little bit for sure. Every coach has their own style and methods.
“You’re probably just seeing the same thing in a different way. That’s how it is with both goalkeeper coaches and managers when it comes to communication.
“I think we’re working really well. We’ve got a good group with Jordan, Joao (Virginia) and a few youngsters coming through although a couple of them are on loan spells now.
“When it comes to the actual goalkeeping department, I think it’s first class all the way through the whole club. It’s just a pleasure to be part of it doing all I can to help them to progress even more.”
The Asmir Begovic Goalkeeping Academy specialises in coaching and educating young goalkeepers and they opened their first branch in Merseyside last year, alongside other centres across the UK in Cobham, Basingstoke, Burnley, Hull and Nantwich plus overseas divisions in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina plus Heilbronn, Germany. It’s a project that remains very close to Begovic’s heart.
He said: “We started the best part of six years ago. To get where we are now, what we stand for, giving kids the opportunity to be active, having fun, while practicing their goalkeeping skills but most importantly, trying to open up some opportunities later in life, whatever that might be, has been great.
“We’ve been inspired a lot more kids to be goalkeepers and I’m very pleased with how it’s gone.
“We definitely find that there’s a good demand for kids who want to be goalkeepers. The challenge for us is meeting that demand with coaching and putting the right package together to provide opportunities for them.”
Although Liverpool has produced some of this country’s most-gifted footballers, most of them have tended to be outfield players. You have to go back over half a century to Gordon West’s Bootle-born understudy Andy Rankin, who died last year aged 79, having made 105 appearances for Everton to find a local goalkeeper who reached double figures in terms of first team games for either of the city’s professional clubs.
Could Begovic unearth a future gem to become a potential Premier League star then? He said: “If there’s a way of helping that and inspiring that, if we can contribute in any shape or form along the way, then we’d be really happy. That’s what we’re trying to do.
“If we can give kids the first step and they develop later, then hopefully clubs and bigger academies can take them on forwards.”
- Everton have teamed up with the Asmir Begovic Academy to host a Goalkeeper Experience at Finch Farm for young fans. The three-hour experience, led by the Blues’ ace and a team of fully qualified Everton coaches, will take place at the club’s training facility on Friday November 1 (10am-1pm) and is open to children aged 6-14.The Goalkeeper Experience aims to provide young, ambitious, and committed goalkeepers with an environment where they can enhance their skills and maximise their individual development. All sessions will focus on a combination of individual and group work, as well as developing and strengthening fundamental goalkeeping techniques.All attendees will receive an Everton certificate, medal, signed photo and a pair of Asmir Begovic gloves. Find out more and sign up HERE For more information about other Everton’s International Soccer Camps and Soccer Schools, click HERE
