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As shareholder Farhad Moshiri hinted at a few days ago, Everton are not done adding to the club. They have turned their attention to Manchester City goalkeeper, and England number one, Joe Hart on a season-long loan deal, according to BBC’s David Ornstein.
Everton & Sevilla have expressed interest in signing Joe Hart. He wants loan, doesn't feel 2wks enough to decide permanent future #MCFC #EFC
— David Ornstein (@bbcsport_david) August 17, 2016
Hart is out of favor at City after a poor display at this summer’s Euro’s. New manager Pep Guardiola started 34-year-old Willy Caballero in both the Premier League opener against Sunderland on Saturday and against Steaua Bucharest in the Champions League on Tuesday. Both times, Hart was named on the bench.
Following his performance to open the season, it may be harsh to drop Maarten Stekelenburg to the bench, but Hart has been a solid Premier League and international goalkeeper for years now and would not make the move to Everton unless he was assured first-choice minutes.
It is sounding like the Toffees will have to battle La Liga side Sevilla for the keeper, but Everton would seem to have the advantage on paper. Although Sevilla can offer Champions League football, signing with Everton would allow Hart to stay in England close to his home and battle for his spot in the national team. Plus, the Blues can better handle his reported £110,000/week wages, which would make Hart the highest-paid player on the team.
If it is just a loan move, it seems like a low-risk, high-reward type of decision for Everton. As long as the team is comfortable with the salary everything else is relatively easy to make sense of. Should Hart falter, they have two reliable keepers in Stekelenburg and Joel Robles.
On the other hand, Hart is a big personality to insert into your dressing room. And with that type of weekly wage, he could easily become a target for the ire of teammates, supporters and the media should he struggle.
Overall, however, on a week-to-week basis, Hart makes Everton a better team, adds depth and allows the board to shift their focus back to needs at right back, striker and elsewhere.
What are your thoughts on the rumored move? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter and Facebook. Thanks for reading!