Three Reasons Why Joe Hart Is A Great Capture By West Ham United
West Ham United have completed the signing of goalkeeper Joe Hart from Manchester City on a season-long loan.
The England international has been cast aside by Sky Blues boss Pep Guardiola since his arrival last summer and was sent out on loan to Serie A side Torino last season, where he had a mixed season behind a wobbly defence. And following the arrival of Ederson at the Etihad last month, any hopes of him getting a chance in the coming season we quashed, prompting him to consider a move away.
The Hammers will have to pay somewhere in the region of £4.5million for the deal – £2million in loan fee to City and £2.5million in player wages (Guardian). But it represents a great piece of business for the East London outfit and here are three reasons why:
Hart Has A Point To Prove
Ever since Guardiola’s appointment at the Etihad, things have gone downhill for Hart. Having been forced out of the club, he did not have the best of the seasons at his loan club. He played 36 Serie A games and managed just 5 clean sheets, conceding 62 goals in the process – although that had a lot more to do with the shaky backline at the Turin based outfit.
With the FIFA World Cup 2018 on the horizon, the England international found his place in the team under threat, with the likes of Jordan Pickford, Fraser Forster and Jack Butland all competing for the same. So Hart will be raring to prove a point to manager Gareth Southgate and West Ham will provide him with the platform and the opportunity to get back to his best, and reap the rewards of it too.
Improvement On Current Options
In spite of an average season there are no questions that Hart is a world-class goalkeeper and will represent a great improvement on the current options that West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has at his disposal.
While Adrian has done well in the past, last season, he was hardly consistent and looked error-prone on a number of occasions, which resulted in him losing his place to Darren Randolph. The Irish international may not have done very badly, but still lacked the element of consistency between the sticks. Hart definitely is on a whole new level when compared to the current goalkeepers at the London Stadium, and the fans would be happy to see the England No.1 take the pitch next season.
Proven In The Premier League
Hart had established himself as the No.1 at City 10 years ago in 2007, and had an impressive couple of seasons between then and 2009. But he lost his place to Shay Given under Mark Hughes and spent a season away on loan at Birmingham. However, upon his return in 2010 he re-established himself as the first-choice and has never looked back since then, until Guardiola arrived.
A veteran of over 250 league appearances with the Citizens, Hart has played a huge part in their recent success – winning two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup as well. Such experience and know-how and the winning mentality that he will bring in, is worth its weight in gold for the Hammers.