The question of Joe Hart and his future at Celtic remains hanging in the balance this season and it’s because of two things.
The first, and most obvious, reason is that Hart’s contract expires at the end of the season. With Celtic dealing players in all summer and Hart not even being mentioned as a player who is on the cusp of being offered a new deal, maybe the scene is being set for the Englishman to move on next summer.
And being linked to Real Mardid’s Andriy Lunin yesterday has also fed fuel to the fire.
The second reason is that the Celtic ‘keeper has been receiving some criticism for some mistakes he has made in the early parts of the season.
That criticism is wholly unfair and Hart has done a brilliant job at silencing those critics with some crucial performances for Celtic this season. That’s according to Peter Grant.
The former Celtic hero leapt to the defence of the £1m signing from Spurs and had it not been for Hart, Celtic would not have won games as comfortably as they have this season.
Grant said [The Go Radio Football Show], “Joe’s been excellent even this season You know, he’s got a lot of criticism. I’ve said that to you before in even games they’ve won four or five nil.
“He’s always had to produce a save which Celtic goalkeepers have almost done through the years.
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“Because you can be dominating games and win the game four or five nothing and the keeper had a save at 0-0 and Joe has done that many times even this season because I’ve seen most of the games.”
Look, no one is saying Hart is above criticism. No Celtic player is. I, like Grant, feel that a lot of it is unjust and over the top considering what he has brought to the club since he joined two summers ago.
Some of his saves both domestically and in Europe have been crucial to Celtic. I remember saves against Ross County and St Johnstone when the game was poised at 0-0 that helped stop Celtic dropping points (especially against The Saints) in the early part of this season.
And are we forgetting about his penalty save against Feyenoord in the Champions League?
Yes, with the ball at his feet, Hart can cause, well, your heart to skip a beat. But as a shot-stopper, there is not a better ‘keeper in the SPFL.
In other news, ‘I’m happy where I’m at’: 25-year-old Celtic player insists he’s not looking to leave Parkhead