Why Manchester City should sell Joe Hart and buy Hugo Lloris

Manuel Pellegrini’s Manchester City are 11/4 with Coral to win the Premier League. Had they signed a top class goalkeeper in Hugo Lloris this summer, they could be favourites, and may be sitting further up the table right now.

Tottenham’s Lloris is arguably the best custodian in England and was almost responsible for single-handedly keeping his team in the north London derby at the Emirates, producing a string of world class saves.

His form makes any otherwise shaky Spurs defence look like world beaters, although there are gaping holes in the rearguard at White Hart Lane. At just 27 years old, he is already the captain of the France national team ahead of them hosting Euro 2016; some accolade.

This more than suggests that the command Lloris has of the penalty area, and communication with the players immediately in front of him is first class, and more than worthy of such credentials.

Following his heroics against Arsenal, Tottenham head coach Mauricio Pochettino waxed lyrical about Lloris: “I think he is one of the best goalkeepers in the world, not just the Premier League. He is unbelievable.

“[Manuel] Neuer, [Wojciech] Szczesny… I think there’s a lot of good keepers. But Lloris is one of them. It was an amazing save that he made from [Per] Mertesacker. From my position [on the touchline] it was an unbelievable save. On TV it looks even better.”

City’s Achilles heel is no doubt in goal. Although Joe Hart is unquestionably talented, England’s number one has flaws in his game, and can switch off at crucial times. Any fee for Lloris would probably be upwards of £25m; however, offering Hart in a part-exchange might help to sweeten the deal.

Should Spurs fail to qualify for the Champions League, and the Frenchman wants to play at a higher level, Pellegrini bidding for his services could make perfect sense. The clincher in offering Hart as part of the deal, is whether he would be willing to drop down a level to revitalise his career.