It is very apparent that Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has no plans to ever use Joe Hart due to a difference in his perceived style of play in comparison to other goalkeepers. However, the Catalan can make a massive managerial move by deciding to not sanction a sell of Hart to any of his Premier League rivals.
Such sense would go a long way in ensuring that City don’t have to overcome unnecessary obstacles as they look to return to the league’s summit for a considerable amount of time.
One reason you’d want to make sure that Hart is not sold to a rival, like Liverpool, is because he may just turn out to be the missing puzzle piece in their attempts to finally claim a Premier League crown. With a goalkeeper like Hart, who is almost always steady and reliable give a rick every 6 months or so, the Merseysiders already questionable back four would finally have have confidence in their keeper.
Another reason not to sell the England stopper to a Premier League club is that you wouldn’t have to face him twice a season. Even if Hart went to a club like Everton and Southampton, he’d still be coming up against City twice a year in the league. We know how good of a shot stopper Hart is, and he’s always capable of making saves to deny his side’s opponents, even when they look like easily scoring.
Any decision Pep makes regarding his unwanted goalkeeper, could even have a negative effect on hi squad. Given his questionable decision to trust in Claudio Bravo, the Spaniard may raise eyebrows if he yet again refuses to believe in Hart’s abilities. If Hart were to essentially be allowed to choose where he wants to go, then it would be a massive detriment to the club. The Spaniard would be undermined, and it would send a very poor message throughout the dressing room to the other players. It would say that former Barca lacked control, and that he was weak. All without Zlatan even in the dressing room.
To further this, this would show that Guardiola has the backbone to support his decisions and then follow through with them. Sometimes, we make poor decisions, but they can’t just be changed back and forth. If he changes his mind over and over, his side will also see this and it will start to rub them the wrong way as it can affect tactics and game plans.