Scouting Manchester City Transfer Target Marc-Andre ter Stegen

Joe Hart’s performances for Manchester City last season were indicative of a goalkeeper still improving.

Hart is 29, has played close to 350 games for City and has won 63 caps for England. During his time at the Etihad Stadium, he has won two Premier League titles and an FA Cup, winning the Golden Gloves award on four occasions.

It’s an impressive record. The £100,000 City paid Shrewsbury Town for his services back in 2006 after a recommendation from the club’s then-goalkeeping coach Tim Flowers has proved to be a shrewd investment.

And he continues to make incremental adjustments that up his performance level. His distribution remains a concern, and he can still drop the odd glaring error, but City have a goalkeeper who bailed them out on a number of occasions thanks to his wonderful shot-stopping capabilities and his brilliant ability to spread himself at the feet of forwards when they are bearing down on goal.

However, the rumours persist that Pep Guardiola’s desire to revolutionise City’s style will lead him to sign a new goalkeeper, one comfortable with the ball at his feet who can start attacks and play as an auxiliary outfield player.

To traditional followers of English football, it’s an odd idea. Goalkeepers who stop the ball going into the net are what a team needs, and Hart does that better than most—but for the more forward-thinking, a goalkeeper’s remit has broadened, and they can offer more than just steady hands.

Guardiola had Victor Valdes at Barcelona and Manuel Neuer at Bayern Munich. Both will sweep up danger and join in with passing in deep areas, helping to keep possession, start attacks and set the tone for the team’s possession-based style.

In football, any advantage, no matter how small, can be crucial—and having a goalkeeper participate in what goes on in outfield play has so often proved to be that something extra that has tipped a game in Guardiola’s favour. Valdes and Neuer gave Guardiola’s side an advantage—something of an 11th outfield player on the pitch.

A goalkeeper of that ilk is Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Barcelona’s 24-year-old German goalkeeper plays in the cup competitions but is widely seen as second in command to Claudio Bravo, their first choice in La Liga matches.

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Guardiola has been continually linked with a move for Ter Stegen, including a report from Pete Jenson in the Daily Mail. Speculation only intensified after Hart’s spectacular collapse at this summer’s European Championship. He was at fault for two goals England conceded, including Iceland’s winner that saw the Three Lions exit the tournament in embarrassing fashion. Quite how Kolbeinn Sigthorsson’s tame shot found its way past Hart will forever remain a mystery.

Ter Stegen isn’t the best shot-stopper in the game, but he would allow Guardiola to play his preferred style of football. The idea that Hart, at 29, will suddenly adopt a new brand of goalkeeping seems somewhat unlikely; although, he deserves the chance to test himself after his form last season.

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique wants to keep Ter Stegen and says he is confident of doing so.

"I'm not the least bit worried,” he told El Mundo Deportivo (as reported by Reuters, via Sky Sports). "We are dealing with the issue with absolute normality, we have three [Stegen, Bravo and Masip] great goalkeepers under contract, who behave in a perfect manner. That is still the case today, after several seasons and we do not have any problem."

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Barcelona spotted Ter Stegen when they sent chief scout Pep Boada to the European Under-17 Championship in 2009. The German, who at the time played for Borussia Monchengladbach, was the standout player at the tournament, conceding just two goals and demonstrating his fine footwork. Clearly, this was a goalkeeper with more to his game than most. Barcelona retained an interest from that day but would have to wait a while until they landed their man.

“It’s quite clear, in the not-too-distant future, he will be Germany’s No. 1,” ex-Gladbach coach Joerg Stiel told Spox (via Goal) back in 2013. "Marc is better and has more quality than Manuel Neuer.”

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He forced his way into the Gladbach side as an 18-year-old. They were staring at relegation until Ter Stegen’s introduction to the starting XI with six games to go. They won four, drew one and avoided the drop. Ter Stegen conceded just four goals and was a catalyst for their marked improvement. For a teenage goalkeeper to impress in such difficult circumstances said a lot about his belief and ability.

The following campaign saw him play regularly, and Gladbach’s defensive record improved dramatically. They finished fourth after their flirtation with relegation 12 months earlier—a phenomenal rise that Ter Stegen was key to. They did the double over Bayern, with Ter Stegen outperforming Neuer on both occasions.

Joachim Low gave him a chance in the Germany side, but he failed to take it and wasn’t part of their Euro 2012 squad. But that didn’t change his trajectory at domestic level. Ter Stegen was going from strength to strength. He became Gladbach’s star performer, and in 2013 he penned a pre-contract agreement with Barcelona that would see him transferred to the Camp Nou at the start of the 2014/15 season. Barca's patience had paid off.

But in his two seasons at Barcelona, he’s played just seven times in La Liga, chosen instead as their second-choice/cup goalkeeper. He has won the Champions League, two Copa del Rey titles, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA Club World Cup—but it still feels as though he is underused. He's 24 and wants to improve, yet has to sit and watch from the sidelines when his team are in league action. 

Enrique’s policy of rotating his ‘keepers doesn’t please Ter Stegen. He said to TZ in March (via ESPN): "In the long run, these 25 games per season are not enough for me. The decision is made by the coach. I hope that the quality I've shown recently is rewarded.”

Guardiola likes to play a high defensive line, with his goalkeeper expected to have involvement across the defensive third of the pitch, whether it be sweeping up or involving himself passing.

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Hart, for all his qualities, has rarely looked capable of playing such a style. Ter Stegen is one of the few in the game who can.

Hart deserves to start this season as City's No. 1 and have the opportunity to impress Guardiola. But make no mistake, the new City boss looks for additional qualities in his goalkeeper, and Hart will need to make adjustments or face being usurped.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.