Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart looking for a move away

After nine seasons at Manchester City, Joe Hart realised there was no longer a place for him at the club. The England goalkeeper was an unused substitute in The Citizens’ first three official matches of the new season, and Pep Guardiola made it clear that he would not rely on the man who had been Manchester City’s first-choice goalkeeper for the previous nine years.

The Spanish manager told Joe Hart that he was free to look for a new club abroad. The Toffees had the opportunity to sign the goalkeeper on a season-long loan, but eventually turned it down because Hart’s wages (£135k per week) were too high for them. Including his salary, the loan would have cost about £7m, far too much for a player who could stay for only one season.

Joe Hart did not deserve to be a substitute. He had a very good season the year before, helping his team reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time in Manchester City’s history. Hart was therefore certain to leave The Citizens before the end of the summer transfer window.

Wilfredo Caballero was the second choice goalkeeper at Manchester City for the previous two years and made only six league appearances in two seasons. He nevertheless proved himself a very good goalkeeper, and the Argentinian had impressed his new head coach, who looked set to rely on Caballero at least until the end of the campaign.

Most people expected Hart to find a new club easily because of his undeniable qualities, but his salary told a different story, and very few teams were ready to pay that much for a goalkeeper. Joe Hart also did not have much time. He needed a new challenge urgently, because if he wanted to remain England’s first choice in goal, he simply had to play.

What Hart achieved at Manchester City

The decision was striking because of what Hart had given the club. Across his years at the club he made 348 appearances for Manchester City in all competitions, 266 of them in the Premier League. In that time he won the Premier League twice, in 2011-12 and 2013-14, the FA Cup in 2010-11 and the League Cup in 2013-14 and 2015-16. He also collected the Premier League Golden Glove four times, in 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2014-15.

The club also moved for another goalkeeper before the window closed. On 25 August 2016 Manchester City completed the signing of the Chile international Claudio Bravo from Barcelona for an initial fee of around £15.4 million plus add-ons, on a four-year contract. With Bravo arriving and Caballero already trusted, there was no route back into the team for Hart.

Where Hart went next

The new club turned out to be in Italy. Hart joined Torino on a season-long loan for 2016-17 and made his Serie A debut in a 2-1 away defeat to Atalanta on 11 September 2016. He played regularly for the Turin side and made 36 league appearances that season.

The following summer he returned to the Premier League on another season-long loan, this time with West Ham United, agreed on 18 July 2017. His debut came in a 4-0 defeat away at Manchester United on 13 August 2017, and he made 19 league appearances for the London club. In August 2018 his Manchester City career finally ended with a permanent move to Burnley for a fee reported at around £3.5 million.

Spells at Tottenham Hotspur, where he signed on a free transfer in August 2020, and at Celtic followed. Hart joined the Scottish club on 3 August 2021 and won seven trophies there, including three Scottish Premiership titles in a row from 2021-22 to 2023-24. His final match was the 2024 Scottish Cup final against Rangers on 25 May 2024, which Celtic won. For England he finished with 75 caps, the first of them in June 2008.