England number one Joe Hart looks set for a loan move to West Ham
According to Sky Sports, England goalkeeper Joe Hart is set to complete a loan move from Manchester City to West Ham in the next couple of days.
The move seems like a sound one to me, as Hart’s career seems to be in limbo after spending last season on loan at Italian club Torino.
Everton and Liverpool were linked with moves for Hart last summer. However, it seems that he may have to drop down to the next level of clubs. With reports of interest from Newcastle and now West Ham.
Hart was even reportedly thinking over a move to Championship Aston Villa.
One thing is for sure Hart needs to play regular first-team football in the new campaign, as he has a host of talented young goalkeepers breathing down his neck for the England number one spot.
Hart was never going to stay at City
It was clear last summer that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola really did not fancy Joe Hart. His misgivings about the England number one were reportedly mainly his ability with his feet.
The strange thing was Guardiola replaced Hart with Claudio Bravo, who had problems with his hands, which is not exactly a great quality for a goalkeeper.
It seems Bravo now has a fight on his hands for the number one spot from new signing Ederson, who joined from Benfica earlier this summer. Even if the Citizens had not brought in a new goalkeeper this summer, I very much doubt Hart would have been welcomed back into the fold.
Guardiola is a great boss. However, like many great bosses, he is incredibly stubborn. He will probably start stating that he believes that Bravo is the best goalkeeper in the world again at the start of the season.
A decent signing for West Ham
I have to admit that at times I have been on the fence when it comes to Joe Hart. I do believe he is a decent shot-stopper, but the amount of errors he makes seems to have increased in recent seasons.
He had a decent campaign in Serie A with Torino. It would be hard to say he was outstanding, though. I do however think that he is probably better than the Hammers two ‘keepers Darren Randolph and Adrian.
Randolph had some decent games by all accounts last season for the Hammers. However, there are doubts about him being a long-term Premier League number one. Adrian’s Hammers career seems to have completely stalled after he looked like a very good ‘keeper in previous campaigns.
Hart has gained a lot of experience in his career. He is probably the best goalkeeper a middling size Premier League club like West Ham could sign this summer.
The experienced goalkeeper needs a club that is willing to meet his wage demands and give him first team football. It seems like the Hammers are willing to do both of those things.
West Ham aiming for a top-ten finish
Slaven Bilic’s two seasons as West Ham boss have produced mixed results. If the Hammers can make some decent quality signings then they will be aiming for a top ten finish next season, which they are odds of 6/4 to achieve.
No doubt, Bilic will still be looking to strengthen his squad. However, signing Hart may well be a good first step to strengthening his squad. He is not world-class, some would argue he never was, but he is a more than capable goalkeeper.
As a neutral, this deal seems to be good for everybody. West Ham get a very capable goalkeeper, Hart gets first team football and City offloads a player that is surplus to requirements. Everybody’s a winner in this deal.
Will Joe Hart be a good signing for West Ham?
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