Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The question as to where Joe Hart will be plying his trade next season has been answered to a certain degree, as it will certainly not be at Anfield. That is because Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has ruled out a move for the England international.
The 30 year old who is currently on loan at Torino, is unlikely to stay with the Serie A side next season as they have already gone on record by saying that they cannot afford the services of England’s No.1 on the permanent basis.
Therefore the obvious move would be a return to the Premier League but where exactly will Hart be calling home by next August. As we can rule Liverpool out the options for Hart have got slimmer and a lot may well depend on the transfer activity of other clubs.
With the likes of David De Gea, Thibault Courtois and Hugo Lloris on the radar of Real Madrid could Hart be calling one of either Manchester or London home next season. He will be a particularly solid replacement if any of those three do move to the Spanish Capital.
The only thing that may stand in his way is the fact that Pep Guardiola will be less than willing to sell a player of Hart’s kind to another Premier League rival and that in itself could put a block on any potential move.
There is no denying the service that Hart has given Manchester City over the years and the hope will be that Guardiola can respect that and not stand in his way, but you get the feeling that will be less than likely.
Guardiola’s arrogance could also go against the former Birmingham loanee for another reason. It’s not being harsh to say that Claudio Bravo’s stint at The Etihad has been somewhat of a flop, but if Guardiola shows him the exit door this Summer it will be perceived as a poor decision to bring the Chilean to Manchester in the first place and that is not something he can have on his watch.
It’s not that Guardiola is against Hart staying in the Premier League but he would much rather sell him to a club lower down the table. If that is the case then perhaps Leicester could well be a destination.
That is because Kasper Schmeichel is another keeper who is currently earning rave reviews and he could be well tempted away from The King Power now that the defence of the Premier League title and Champions League adventures have come to an end.
It could well be that Jurgen Klopp earmarks the signature of the Danish international instead and if that is to be the case then Hart could very well find his way to the East Midlands as the ideal replacement for the Premier League winner of last season.
It looks like we are set for a game of goalkeeping musical chairs this Summer, ultimately whoever moves first will then set off a chain of activity. Who goes where is still to be worked out but one thing is for sure is that Joe Hart will not be representing the red half of Merseyside next season.
