With 8 days left for the transfer window to close and Sam Allardyce expressing his concerns over his paltry game time, Joe Hart is set to continue with Manchester City.
In a recent interview with BBC, the English team manager Sam Allardyce maintained that while Joe Hart will be his preferred No.1 for the World Cup qualifier against Slovakia, the manager is deeply concerned about the 29-year-old goalkeeper’s play time. The curious and crucial addition of ‘for now’ to his choice of Hart as the No.1 in the squad is troubling news for the goalkeeper as the transfer window is about to close and he is yet to receive an offer that would be sustainable for his long-term career plans. It is no secret that Hart has been out of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s favour for quite some time now.
Hart has not made any notable appearance for the Manchester City squad in the recent past. The Argentinian Willy Caballero has been Guardiola’s first preference all season. However, Barcelona recently confirmed that the proceedings over Claudio Bravo’s transfer to City had already begun. With the Chilean’s arrival, Hart would now be No.3 in the squad, behind both Bravo and Caballero. BBC reported Guardiola as saying that Hart can leave the club if he so desired, adding that the first and foremost thing he required from a goalkeeper is the ability to save.
While Sevilla and Borrusia Dortmund had both expressed interest in signing the Englishman, BBC reported that Hart is not interested in joining either of them. With no exit in sight, Hart may not be able to leave Manchester City before January. Sam Allardyce is also aware of these circumstances and therefore ‘concerned’ about Hart’s fitness for the No.1 spot in the national team.
While arguing that one must move around these problems since the number of English players in the Premier League has lessened over the years, Sky Sports reported the manager as saying, “I think the problem for any player that you want to select for England, not just in isolation, is that it’s a concern if that player isn’t playing for his team.” With no love lost between him and Guardiola, and with a possible deal with Everton falling through, Joe Hart has not been left with many options and will probably just have to wait for the cloud of uncertainty over his head to pass.
