Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart travelled to Italy on Tuesday to undergo medical tests to join Italian football side Torino on loan.
Advertisement
Sam Allardyce says he will be ready should Joe Hart’s future become a distraction for his squad ahead of England’s World Cup qualifier in Slovakia on Sunday.
Torino are seventh in Serie A with three points from their opening two games.
‘The offer from Torino came at the right time, in the right way.
Argentine Willy Caballero has been chosen as City stopper this season – whilst the club have also swooped for former Barcelona keeper Claudio Bravo.
“I’m very excited to test myself in an important and lovely league like Serie A. The history and quality of goalkeepers in Italy is known everywhere and I’m sure than I can learn a lot here at Torino too and it is for these reasons that I accepted President [Urbano] Cairo’s offer”.
And just a few hours later West Brom signed Nacer Chadli from Tottenham for a club record £13million.
Attilio Lombardo, who was part of Roberto Mancini’s backroom staff at City and is now assistant to Torino coach Sinisa Mihajlovic, is thought to have played a key part in the move.
It was a busy final day of player trading for Premier League clubs, who have collectively spent more than 1 billion pounds ($1.3 billion) for the first time in a transfer window – almost 1.2 billion pounds ($1.5 billion) total by the close of play – as they reinvest their new bumper television windfalls.
Guardiola explained that he had dropped Hart due to his desire to use a goalkeeper more comfortable with the ball at his feet. I am sure I will learn in Torino, too.
Advertisement
The FA will make a decision on whether to charge Hart’s team-mate Sergio Aguero, left, with violent conduct today, which could rule him out of the Manchester derby on September 10.
