Joe Hart and Manchester City Agree on New 4-Year Contract

Manchester City have confirmed that goalkeeper Joe Hart has put pen to paper on a new four-and-a-half-year contract with the club.

The club announced the news on Friday:

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Joe Hart has committed his long-term future to the Club, agreeing terms on a new contract at the Etihad Stadium which will run until the end of the 2018/19 season.

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The deal, which runs until 2019, will see the England international pick up a reported £110,000-a-week salary, per Jamie Jackson of The Guardian.

Hart is excited about about the deal, per the team's announcement, telling mcfc.co.uk:

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I’m really happy, I’ve been here a long time now and I want to keep that going.

The new deal means I get to stay longer—the club’s doing amazing things at the moment, we’ve created history and we want to keep doing that.

Wanting to stay here was never going to be an issue for me - I’ve loved every moment since I joined.

The Club’s growing and I’ve been really lucky to be part of the ride.

I just want to keep winning with the team and keep developing. A lot of the boys have signed long-term deals, so we’re building as a squad and I think that quite a few of us have been here for a long time now.

We’re enjoying building that winning mentality, how the Club is growing is around us and how we need to grow along with it.

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The 27-year-old, who signed from Shrewsbury Town back in 2006, has made 276 appearances for the club and has been a vital part of some trophy-laden years at the Etihad Stadium. Since nailing down the No. 1 jersey with the club, Hart has won four major honours: two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

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Prior to signing the deal, City manager Manuel Pellegrini praised the influence Hart has on this current squad, per BBC Sport:

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I always said it is important for this club to keep Joe with us. He is a very good goalkeeper and not only a very good goalkeeper, he is a very important player for the squad also.

The arrival of Willy Caballero was very important for the club, for Joe. The best way for players to have high performance is when they have important competition.

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During his time in Manchester, Hart has established himself as his nation’s finest goalkeeper, and as this new deal clearly illustrates, City envisage him as the best man to play between the sticks as the club surges on towards further inevitable glories.

Hart endured a difficult run of form during the 2013/14 season and was dropped from the starting XI by Pellegrini. But he responded admirably to his omission, as well as a host of criticism from the media. Since his reintegration into the first team, he has resembled a much more focused and assuring presence.

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The Premier League is blessed with a host of talented goalkeepers, but Hart remains among the very best of them. His shot-stopping is magnificent, while his command of his area and distribution seem to be improving year upon year.

He may not be the most flamboyant of stoppers or the most extroverted of personalities and subsequently, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. But for all the illustrious names who have been in and out of the Etihad’s doors in recent years, the Englishman has remained a constant.

The champions are lucky to have him, and his new deal shows they’re keen on having him for a long time yet.