Chelsea & Everton eyeing shock swoops for Joe Hart

Posted Saturday, October 22, 2016 by Footballfancast.com

Even though he's been shipped off to Italy on loan at Torino, Joe Hart is still on the radar of English clubs, with Everton and Chelsea both interested, according to The Sun.

What's the story?

Essentially, The Sun are claiming that Hart's future may well be back in English football after his time in Italy comes to an end, with Everton and Chelsea looking at potential permanent deals. The 29-year-old goalkeeper was ousted from his position at Manchester City's No.1 by Pep Guardiola in dramatic fashion, which resulted in one of the more unorthodox moves of the last transfer window in the form of his season-long switch to Turin. However, few believe his ultimate destination will be Serie A, which makes links with Chelsea and Everton somewhat plausible.

Interestingly, the Toffees were heavily aligned with Hart over the summer when it became clear that his Man City days were numbered, and with veteran Dutchman Maarten Stekelenburg their main stopper, there appears to be room for a top-class glovesman.

How has he been getting on in Italy?

Joe Hart bonds with Torino team mates on night out https://t.co/lJKzc3wDxq pic.twitter.com/0xyiBcQP57
— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) October 19, 2016

Hart's loan club, Torino, are unbeaten in their last five Serie A matches, in which time Hart has only conceded three times. As the image above shows, he's settling in sufficiently off the pitch too.

Chelsea & Everton eyeing shock swoops for Joe Hart

The numbers (via Squawka) reveal Hart is performing well. In fact, his saves-per-game and goals conceded-per-game statistics are at their best since the start of the 2012/13 season, at which point he was, arguably, in his finest fettle.

Could a deal happen?

We suspect Hart will return to England, and a move to Everton definitely ticks the logic box. Chelsea are also an interesting prospect, but much hinges on Thibaut Courtois' future – which may be decided by the Blues' Champions League fate this term.