Joe Hart Set to Leave Man City After Making a Final Appearances for the Club (Man City Odds)

Hart waved to the Etihad crowd following his 348th game for the Citizens last night – check out the best Man City Odds at Paddy Power.

(Image credit: Independent)

Joe Hart seems to be heading towards the exit door at the Etihad, after making what appears to be have been his final appearance for the club in the Champions League qualifier return-leg against Steaua Bucharest last night. Overall, Hart has made a total of 348 appearances for Man City.

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“That was a really special night for me,” Hart commented, after Man City qualified for the Champions League with that likely being his final game for the Sky Blues. “We all know there’s a situation going on, but outside the circus we’re handling it really well. It was a special night for us, and it was also a really nice night for me.”

“We’re going to come up with a solution. Tonight I played for Manchester City and I enjoyed every moment of it. It’s a place I’d love to be. But situations occur in football but we’re men and we get on with it.”

Man City’s new boss Pep Guardiola recognizes Hart’s status within the club, after being instrumental in helping them win the Premier League on two occasions (2012 and 2014), and clinching other trophies during his time at the Etihad.

“I know he is a legend for this club. I know part of what the club has become – one of the reasons is Joe. They won the Premier League, the Cup. He helped to make this team one step above. I am so happy how the people treat him and love him,” said the 45-year-old.

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However, the former manager of Barcelona and Bayern Munich reiterated that he’s the one making ‘decisions’ at the club, despite being prone to ‘a lot of mistakes’ in the process.

“But I am here to take decisions. I make a lot of mistakes – my decisions in my career as a coach are sometimes good, sometimes bad, but I take decisions,” Guadiola stressed. “I try to be honest with myself. I can’t deny what I feel. I was honest with Joe, I was honest with the club and all the players in the squad. The people must follow me. Right now Joe is a player for Manchester City and when I believe he has to play he will play.”

“A storm is brewing…” – Pep Guardiola makes Joe Hart the first casualty in his Man City revolution

(Image credit: Man City site)

Hart joined the Sky Blues as a 19-year-old boy a decade ago when then manager Stuart Pierce bought him from Shrewsbury Town for a mere £100,000 – a fee that’s now considered a bargain as his transfer value now that’s at more than £14 million.

As a replacement for the 29-year-old, Guardiola has signed Claudio Bravo from former club Barcelona for a rumoured £17 million fee, although an official announcement about the Chilean’s transfer is yet to be released. Once the deal is confirmed, it will take the Catalan’s combined spending at the Etihad since being appointed this summer over a whopping £180 million.

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Everton has been strongly touted as a potential destination 1.36 (4/11) (Paddy Power online sportsbook) for England’s No. 1, however a move to Goodison Park would signal an end to Champions League football. Sevilla are the second favourites 6.00 (5/1) to sign Hart, but there are doubts whether he would want to move away from home, which is why Liverpool are right behind them on the odds chart 10.00 (9/1), although there’s been no serious suggestion linking the keeper with the Anfield side.

If he seals a move away from the Etihad, questions might linger how will that impact his performances and whether – as a direct result of that – will he still retain his position as the first-choice keeper for England’s new boss Sam Allardyce.

Hart made his unofficial debut for the Three Lions in 2008 friendly match against Trinidad and Tobago, when he came on at half-time as a substitute for David James. It wasn’t until two years later that he recorded his first official cap against Bulgaria in the EURO 2012 qualifiers. Since then, Hart has made a total of 63 official appearances for England, representing them at two Euros (2012 and 2016) and one the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

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