It hasn’t been a great summer for Joe Hart.
His mistake against Iceland was part of the reason England crashed out of the European championships, and now it seems he’s fallen out of favor with his new manager, Pep Guardiola.
He hasn’t played for Manchester City this season, instead sitting on the bench behind Willy Caballero. To make matters worse, Guardiola is rumored to be interested in bringing Barcelona keeper Claudio Bravo to the blue half of Manchester.
If that happens, England’s current No. 1 will be City’s No. 3.
New England manager Sam Allardyce stressed the importance of England players having regular playing time with their clubs in an interview on Monday, which doesn’t bode well for the 29-year-old’s long term prospects with the Three Lions.
“It’s a big concern. … We want as many players as possible in their club’s first team that join up with the squad, then go on to play for England and be successful,” he said.
So far today, Hart and Guardiola appeared to have a disagreement in training, and then the manager announced that Hart would start the team’s Champions League qualifier Wednesday against Steaua Bucharest.
It’s a bizarre situation, and one that isn’t likely to help his prospects for club or country.
He’s been given permission to find a new club, but two things are working against him.
The first is time. There are only eight days left in the transfer window, and with seasons underway across Europe, there aren’t many teams that are pressed for a starting keeper.
The second is money. Hart would probably already be at Everton, were it not for his £135,000 (roughly $178,000) per week salary. There aren’t a lot of teams able to add that sort of salary and keep the books balanced.
Ultimately, a loan away from the club might make the most sense. Under that circumstance, City would pay some or all of his salary while Hart would be a better chance for first-team action.
One thing seems clear. It is not in the best interest for Hart or Manchester City for things to continue this way.
