Burnley move may be last chance for Joe Hart

Joe Hart’s move to Burnley may be the former elite stopper’s last chance in the Premier League.

For all the plaudits Pep Guardiola’s big money Manchester City squad have received, there are at least two players in the world who aren’t fans. The first is Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has a notoriously low opinion of Guardiola as a person. The second is Joe Hart, who while not resorting to Zlatan’s unique brand of trash-talking, probably has no love lost for the City boss either.

Since Guardiola’s takeover at the Etihad and subsequent freezing out of Hart, the four-time Golden Glove award winner’s career has gone to pieces with calamitous spells at Torino and West Ham. These disaster moves saw multiple benchings and  the end of his reign as England’s top goalkeeper. This tanking of his stock is probably part of the reason Burnley, one of the poorest clubs in the Premier League, was able to take a two-year flyer on him for about £3.5 million.

Though Burnley’s supposed penchant for England international goalkeepers has been joked about extensively in the 48 hours since the move was made, it does make sense for both the Clarets and Hart, despite his severe yips over the past two campaigns.

The logic is that though Nick Pope, tied for fifth in the Premier League in clean sheets last season with 11, he lacks  top flight experience beyond last year, and it will be difficult for Burnley to outperform their expected goal difference so significantly two years running. Beyond an argument for regression back to the mean both Pope and Tom Heaton are dealing with injuries, that won’t heal in time for their Europa League qualifying or the start of the Premier League. Pope could be out until October.

It’s not ideal for Burnley’s system to start a shot-stopper who has had trouble saving the ball, but given the price range for a top-flight keeper in this transfer market, this marriage of convenience to the former Golden Glove winner could be just enough of a stop-gap for the Clarets to survive while Pope heals. Additionally, if it works out, a bigger club could come knocking and they could sell Hart on at a profit.

If he fails at Burnley, however, Hart’s career as a top-flight keeper of any value will surely be done at just 31 years old, which may serve as motivation for the former England number 1. Having a manager who has no issue with him punting the ball up field could also help Hart’s mentality.

It’s a move Burnley probably wish they didn’t have to make, but the low-risk and high reward nature for both club and player will make watching the tough-to-break-down Clarets an interesting proposition in the season’s early going. Hart could make his league debut with them on Sunday against Southampton, and could face his former club on Oct. 20.