Joe Hart – What’s the thinking behind the proposed new deal?…
It’s been reported that the club have started talks with Joe Hart about signing a new deal, and I have to admit that I found this surprising. Joe will be 37 at the start of next season and although he’s still a superb keeper, I think it’s safe to say his best days are now behind him.
I like most Celtic supporters thought that this would be his farewell season, especially with the club reportedly looking to bring in a younger first team goalkeeper with the likes of Andriy Lunin from Real Madrid being mentioned.
Maybe the plan is to keep Joe as cover as he’s thought to be a major voice in the dressing room, he’s considered leader material. That wouldn’t be the worse idea to be honest.
Maybe the club are just thinking back to 2020 when they let Craig Gordon go and we were left with the £4.5m signing Vasilis Barkas. Now that was a bad mistake in both signing the Greek tragedy and also not keeping experienced cover just in case it didn’t work out.
Maybe they don’t want burned again and think by nailing down Joe Hart on a new deal will be some sort of safety net if we fail to land our preferred targets. That may be the case, but we will still need a new man between the sticks at some point in the next wee while and Joe Hart will be well aware of that himself.
If Joe is indeed awarded a new deal, then great, we will support him, but we shouldn’t forget we still need a new face between the sticks. To fail to deal with that is not an option. And with a new keeper in place for next season, having Joe Hart there to mentor him and to provide back-up seems like a sensible option, especially as he is such an important figure in the dressing room.
Joe loves playing football, as he has always said and would be be happy seeing out his career as the back-up keeper at Celtic or going to another club where he’d still be first choice. However he may decide that he can and will fight for his place at Celtic and any new signing will have to be better than him up at Lennoxtown to dislodge him from wearing the Celtic first team gloves.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
MAJIC, STAN AND THE KING OF JAPAN IS OUT NOW – ORDER YOUR JOHN HARTSON SIGNED COPY BY CLICKING ON THE IMAGE BELOW…
I so hope you’re right, new younger goalie signed in either of the next two transfer windows while giving Joe a new contract for him to mentor new bhoy, compete with new bhoy to hopefully push him to get better and as you say we’ve Joe’s vast experience for our dressing room which is a really young squad with not many elder professionals, (hear me CFC board) to guide the bhoys.
Sounds like a plan.
Looking like big Ben time with the club is up now, and will possibly be sold.
Bain isn’t good enough for a no2 keeper role either imo, but yet seems content at playing the no3 keeper role, and still remains disappointing that there still isn’t a homegrown keeper in sight yet to take the no3 keeper role as of yet.
As for Hart?
You covered all the options in your piece, and of course the decision will come down to Hart himself and to weather he might be prepared to play the no2 keeper role?
Personally hope he stays on, and certainly earned the right for a new contract to be offered also.
Weather he signs could be a totally different matter altogether, but wouldn’t say that he would be getting to many options open to himself with the age factor either?
Pretty much agree, but no brainier as backup when compared to the other two surely?. Also I’d really like to see the figures backing up this ‘obvious’ decline I must say.