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West Ham United are in need of a big Hart

| 17.07.2017

Joe Hart’s time at Manchester City is coming to an end with Pep Guardiola shelling out a world-record £35m for Benfica’s Ederson Moraes.

The question is, where will the England number one end up? Reliable reports suggest West Ham United have a deal agreed – initially on-loan for the season, to be then made permanent next summer.

In essence, it’s a deal that will suit both parties to a tee. Slaven Bilic needs a goalkeeper he can fully trust and rely on, whereas Hart needs a Premier League move to secure his place in England’s prospective World Cup 2018 squad.

For the last couple of seasons the Hammers have been rotating between Adrián and Darren Randolph with neither being able to cement the position.

The Republic of Ireland number one was between the sticks for a large portion of last year’s campaign but a number of errors reinforced the idea that more quality was needed.

Meanwhile, Hart is in dire need of a new, permanent home. After being quickly discarded by Man City’s new coach, the former Shrewsbury Town goalie was loaned to Serie A side Torino.

It’s probably fair to say he had an inconsistent season in Turin with a number of highly-publicised gaffes, including an uncomfortable 90-second show reel of bloopers that would have slightly embarrassed the 30-year-old.

Hart remains a good keeper, though. Maybe not for a team aiming for a top four spot and Champions League aspirations but most definitely a side in the catchment area below that.

West Ham would be a perfect location for him to resettle ahead of a big season.

With the likes of Jordan Pickford, Jack Butland, Ben Foster and Fraser Forster breathing down his neck ahead of the World Cup next summer, 38 games between the sticks at the London Stadium would be just the ticket.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing

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Author

Cian Carroll

Starting life as a football columnist for his local paper in Dundalk, Cian has written for a number of media outlets with pieces published in The Birmingham Mail and Spain’s El Mundo Deportivo. A lover of football, GAA, boxing, rugby and MMA, he’s a big Aston Villa and Dundalk fan. He can be regularly spotted on various mountain tops.