Joe Hart: Best Teams for Manchester City's Keeper To Join On Loan

One of the brightest young goalkeepers in the Premier League, a future England No. 1, and all this at just the tender age of 23. But despite his quality, Joe Hart will most probably find himself sitting on Manchester City’s bench behind Ireland’s No. 1, Shay Given.

Hart recently spoke out about his wish to go loan if he could not secure first-team football at Eastlands. City’s manager Roberto Mancini was quick to come out and play down the possibility of Joe Hart going out on loan in the coming season.

However, a loan move is in the best interest of both parties if Hart is not going to be the featured shot-stopper this season.

Joe Hart is a very talented player and the year he spent on loan last season with Birmingham City served him greatly. It also served Manchester City a great deal in terms of his transfer fee skyrocketing. Despite being a talented goalkeeper, Hart still has more developing to do and for England’s sake it is in the nation’s best interest for Hart to play week-in and week-out and continue to progress.

So if a loan deal were to come Manchester City and Joe Hart’s way, where would be the best destination for him to go within the Premier League?

Arsenal

This is the best possible scenario that could come Joe Hart’s way. Arsenal are still in the market for a top quality goalkeeper due to the consistent failings of Manuel Almunia and Lukasz Fabianski.

The chance to play every week for an elite European team would be extremely beneficial for Hart. He would also have the chance to play against top-class European teams in the Champions League, while also been offered a good chance to win some silverware.

Loaning Joe Hart would also offer Arsene Wenger an additional year to search for a permanent No. 1 for his team. It would also give Wenger the best possible view of Joe Hart if he wanted to table an offer for the young English goalie.

The main obstacle in the way of this potential move would be Manchester City’s willingness to send one of their players to a rival team. City would see Arsenal as their competition for one of the four Champions League spots, which are a must for City this season.

Fulham

This move would only take place if Arsenal takes Mark Schwarzer to the Emirates Stadium. If the Australian keeper were sold, Joe Hart would be a very suitable replacement for the season.

A loan move for Hart would stop Fulham from having to rush into the transfer market for s starting goalkeeper. It would also give new manager Mark Hughes a chance to scout potential goalkeepers and make sure that Fulham sign the best possible candidate and make the most of their limited transfer kitty.

Mark Hughes worked with Joe Hart previously in Manchester, so both player and manager would have some common ground. The only possible issue that could occur in this situation is that it was Mark Hughes who signed Shay Given as Joe Hart’s replacements in Manchester.

Whether that would cause Hart to harvest some resentment towards Hughes is unknown, but Hart would defiantly be grateful at the opportunity of first-team football.

West Ham United

Much like the potential Fulham move, this move could only take place if West Ham were to sell Robert Green. At the end of last season, West Ham’s new owners David Gill and David Sullivan announced that every West Ham player was for sale, with the expectation of Scott Parker.

Robert Green has been average at best between the sticks at Upton Park and his recent blunder in South Africa for his national team has caused West Ham and their fans to question the quality of their No. 1 keeper.

Joe Hart could see moving to West Ham to dethrone Robert Green or to battle him for the No. 1 spot as the perfect way to cement his place as his country's first choice goalkeeper.

Both David James and Robert Green had below average seasons last year with Portsmouth and West Ham respectively, but still managed to prevent Joe Hart from seeing a single minute of playing time at the World Cup, despite him clearly being the in-form goalkeeper.

So there may be some sort of connection between being a goalkeeper for West Ham and starting in goal for England.