Tottenham Hotspur raised eyebrows last month when they signed Joe Hart on a Bosman.
Yes, he’s a vastly experienced goalkeeper, but one they might not have needed.
After all, Jose Mourinho already had Hugo Lloris and Paulo Gazzaniga in his Tottenham squad, the latter of whom deputised well for the France international during a big chunk of last season.
So when Spurs went and recruited Hart, it cast doubt on Gazzaniga’s role – and future.
Even now, it remains to be seen which if the two will be backing up Lloris next season, but Micah Richards, who played with the former England international at Manchester City, says there is no way that Hart will have joined if he thought he’d be third choice.
He told The Evening Standard: “He won’t be going as a No3. He knows he’s going to be No2, that’s the reason he has gone there. He has been billed as arrogant or not concentrating on football with the whole ‘Head & Shoulders’ but I can assure you from being with him since he was 19 at City, he is one of the most humble, hard-working people I’ve ever played with.
“Joe Hart, whether playing or in the dressing room, is a massive character.”
Gazzaniga joined the North Londoners in 2017 during Mauricio Pochettino’s reign and you could argue he is good enough to be second choice at least.
Despite a strong end to last season, Lloris has been making big mistakes on a fairly regular basis for the past two years or so.
And although the Argentine made a couple last season too – particularly against Chelsea at home – he is probably a better keeper than Hart, who sat on Burnley’s bench last term.
Mourinho’s side kick off their Premier League season with a trip to Everton on Sunday and it’ll be fascinating to see which of the two is named on the bench.
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