Southampton: Saints linked with surprise move for Joe Hart
By Marc Walker
Southampton have been linked with a summer move for out of favour England and Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart.
According to the Mirror, Southampton face competition for his signature from newly promoted side Wolverhampton Wanderers, with both sides offering Hart a fresh start to his dwindling career.
Poor recent seasons have seen the 31-year-old with a lack of game time and also a recent exclusion from England’s 23 man squad for the the World Cup in June; a moment that could force him to seek a permanent move away from the Etihad Stadium.
There can be no denying Hart’s ability in past years, and he was particularly crucial in Manchester City’s title wins of 2011-12 and 2013-14. He even managed to play every game in the three successive seasons from 2010 to 2013.
Whether the Saints will produce a sustained bid to bring him to St Mary’s is yet to be seen with Alex McCarthy likely to be the club’s number 1 next season. Hart could take the place of Fraser Forster in the squad, but this would clearly come at a cost.
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His reported £120,000 per week wage at West Ham during the last campaign would go against the Saints’ strict wage structure. This helps them to keep player salaries from spiralling out of control.
They have also seen motivational problems with players such as Virgil Van-Dijk after handing the Dutchman a deal to make him the highest earning player in the club’s history.
In many ways, a move for Hart would go against Southampton’s transfer strategy too. Buying young players with great potential at a low price has been the method that has worked for them in recent years, and Hart is certainly not a player of great potential anymore.
Statistics from premierleague.com also show that – in his current form – he would not be an upgrade on either McCarthy and Forster either.
Hart conceded 39 league goals in 19 appearances last season, whilst McCarthy let in 26 in 18 matches. Forster’s numbers were also better as he was beaten 30 times in 20 games.
All three keepers kept four clean sheets during 2017/18, but it would be a surprise for nearly all Saints fans if McCarthy wasn’t the man starting between the sticks in August.
The 28-year-old was a hero in many of Southampton’s final matches of last season, and made a number of flying saves to help give his team gain the number of points needed for safety.