Back in the summer, Joe Hart was in something of career limbo; suddenly made an outcast at the club where he’d made his name, England’s number one was told by new City boss Pep Guardiola that he was surplus to requirements; apparently not suited or able to adapt to the new managers’ desire to play out from the back as Barcelona ‘keeper Claudio Bravo was shipped in as Harts replacement.

 

It was something of a slap in the face for a ‘keeper who would rightly have viewed himself as City’s undisputed number one, and with two Premier League titles, two League Cups and one FA Cup in five years, his winning mentality and experience alone would have made him a valuable addition to any dressing room; apart from Guardiola’s.

 

Hart wasn’t short of offers when news broke that he had become available, and little wonder. Everton, Sunderland and Liverpool were linked, although Reds boss Jurgen Klopp quickly dispelled that particular rumour with the signing of 23 year old Loris Karius. And so it was with a few raised eyebrows that the name of Torino entered the fray, an option which offered Hart the opportunity to do something which we often accuse too many home grown players of failing to do; plying their trade in another country, trying a new league, embracing a new culture and learning a new language.

 

When remaining in England would have been the easier option, Hart made the bold decision to move to Italy for a year, signing for Torino on a season long loan deal. The craze which greeted Hart as he arrived at Torino’s HQ visually shocked but ultimately humbled him as Torino’s passionate support flocked to greet their new signing in the flesh, chanting his name in unison. While Hart is a household name in British football, to see an Italian crowd be so excited over a British player, a goalkeeper no less, was fantastic and rekindled memories of the days when Graeme Souness, David Platt, and Paul Gascoigne were household names in the Italian game.

 

Impressively, Hart conducted his first interview in Italian, showing straight away his commitment to making his move to Italy a success, rhyming off the terms he would become more comfortable with and which would become necessary as he communicated with his defence; endearing Joe to his new supporters and impressing the watching public back home.

 

Now anyone who’s been a fan of Italian football for a reasonable period of time will appreciate that the one thing Italy has never lacked are quality defenders and quality goalkeepers; Zoff, Zenga, Rossi, Pagliuca, Marchegiani, Peruzzi, Toldo, and of course the current Italian number one, and arguably the best goalkeeper in the world, Gianluigi Buffon. 

 

An imposing and impressive list of individuals, all of whom have played behind some of the best defences in the Italian game, names like Baresi, Maldini, Bergomi, Costacurta, Tassotti, Nesta, and Cannavaro. If there is one thing Italian clubs know how to do, it’s defend; however I don’t want that statement to be taken as some insinuation the Italian game is defensive, because the very opposite is the case in the modern era.

 

Serie A in recent seasons has evolved, it’s managed to get more entertaining while retaining that tactical knowledge, awareness, and experience for which it’s become legendary. In fact, recent Milan signing Gerard Deulofeu openly spoke of the way football is played in Italy, stating that, “The football here is very tactical, the defences are very good.”

 

And it’s this tactical approach which I believe has made Joe Hart a far better keeper than the one which boarded that flight to Turin 7 months ago and took a step into the unknown. Whilst we cannot compare Torino’s campaign last season to this when talking exclusively about the form of Joe Hart, we can most certainly compare his form with England pre & post Torino and the evidence is truly in the numbers. From March 2016 to June 2016, Hart played 6 games for England including four European Championship matches and two warm up friendlies; 5 goals conceded in 6 games, 4 of which came in competitive matches.

 

Since moving to Italy however, Hart has played 7 International matches conceding just 3 goals, all coming in friendly matches; a 2-2 draw with Spain and a 1-0 loss to Germany. In competitive terms, Hart remains unbeaten in England’s World Cup qualification campaign; 450 minutes without conceding a goal. As I said, the proof is in the numbers, and who could forget that wonderful save from a Jasmin Kurtic header as England drew 0-0 away in Slovenia, a save many pundits back home specifically attributed to the move to Italy.

 

While Torino have shipped 48 goals this season, only 7 shy of last seasons total, those who have watched Joe Hart will have noticed a substantial improvement in his organisational skills and shot stopping, which is only natural in a nation where defending, goalkeeping and tactics, are as much an art form as they are a necessity. 

 

However, what unfortunately cannot be ignored are the moments of madness which continually creep into Hart's game, something which haunted him at Manchester City from time to time and was most recently evident in Torino’s clash with Inter, where two extremely preventable goals arguably cost his side the game in a match which ended 2-2. And it’s these moments where his concentration lapses, where he rushes off his line for a cross he has no chance of collecting, where a weak shot squirms under his arm and into the net, which makes a move to a real top club seem a distant reality.

 

Hart has, undoubtedly, improved the physical aspect of his game; the shot stopping, the one on ones, the positioning, and the organisational skills but there seems to be something, at club level at least, which is costing him mentally; thus resulting in soft goals being conceded and points being dropped. Some have argued that perhaps language is still an issue, and this might explain issues at cross balls but not on direct shots on goal, so I find that particular defence somewhat weak.

 

There have been rumblings that Manchester City are prepared to let Hart go in the summer for just £10 million provided it isn’t to a Premier League club, a fee which may well be in Torino’s price range, but the keepers’ Premier League salary of £120k a week, which is currently being heavily subsidised by Manchester City, makes a permanent move to Turin difficult to envisage; unless of course Hart drops his wage demands and decides that he favours lifestyle over money.

 

One thing is for sure, regardless of where Joe Hart ends up next season, he deserves praise for taking an opportunity that not many would have. One only needs to look at the situation Jack Wilshere found himself in, farmed out on loan by Arsenal and although Roma were interested in a season long deal, Wilshere took the easy option and signed for Bournemouth. His choice of course, but what an adventure that could have been; a year in Rome, playing for a club flying high in Serie A and in the latter stages of the Europa League, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Nainggolan and the legendary Francesco Totti. 

 

When all is said and done and Joe Hart looks back on his career, he can at least say that he was brave, he was ambitious, he was open minded, and he gave Serie A a shot; and at the end of the day, he was all the better a goalkeeper for it.






James McGhie (@jrmcghie) is the host and producer of the Calciomercato.com podcast