West Ham have signed unwanted Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart on a season-long loan that reveals how badly Pep Guardiola wanted to get rid of the England star.
City failed to find a buyer for their former number one at their £25m price tag so have agreed a deal that does not earn them any money but at least covers the cost of Hart's wages for the season.
"The London club will pay Hart £2.5m in wages, plus £2m to City, which is being termed as a 'loan fee'. City will then pay Hart £2m," reports The Times.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"That way, the England goalkeeper will still earn the £4.5m salary he receives under the terms of his City contract and West Ham do not have to break their wage structure to sign him."
Hart joins another former Man City favourite, Pablo Zabaleta, in London and both could line up against their old club in a pre-season friendly in Iceland next month.
The England keeper spent last season on loan at Torino in Italy but declared himself happy to be back in the Premier League.
He said: "It was a fun year and I did enjoy being part of Serie A and part of Torino, but I'm ready to come back and looking forward to being part of this fantastic league again.
"To be playing in the Premier League for a big club like West Ham, I'm really looking forward to the season."
His England place is under pressure, however, and according to the Daily Mirror, the 30-year-old "is keen to show he is still one of the best keepers in the top flight and with the World Cup taking place next summer, he is determined to secure regular first-team football".
Hart has spent 11-years on the books at City and is under contract at the Etihad until 2019. However, the deal with West Ham does not include an option to buy, so his newly-nomadic career is likely to take another twist next summer.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
Today’s political cartoons — September 29, 2023Friday's cartoons - Biden's dog bite incident, the government shutdown and more
-
'A teetering democracy of gerontocrats?'
Instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Every 'Saw' film, ranked
The Explainer The highs and lows of the gory horror soap opera
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
-
‘Genuine visionary’: is Pep Guardiola the greatest of all time?
feature Spaniard has now won two trebles following Man City’s Champions League triumph
-
Champions League final: Man City vs. Inter predictions and preview
feature Can Guardiola’s team finally win the Champions League and complete a historic treble?
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
-
Man City’s financial charges: what next for the Premier League champions?
feature The club is alleged to have breached financial rules around 100 times over a nine-year period
-
Erling Haaland: does Manchester City have the ‘best player in the world’?
Talking Point The young Norwegian striker has already scored 14 goals in eight games
-
Erling Haaland: Man City’s ‘goalscoring monster’ is ‘spooking’ Premier League rivals
Why Everyone’s Talking About Norwegian striker netted his first City hat-trick in the 4-2 win over Palace
