Joe Hart has signed a new contract at Manchester City, and has revealed his ambition to make more history with the club.
The 27-year-old has been at the Etihad Stadium since the summer of 2006, when then-manager Stuart Pearce used an initial £600,000 of his budget to lure him from Shrewsbury Town. At the time Hart was recognised as one of the best young goalkeepers in the country, and there is no doubt he has gone on to realise his potential during his time at the reigning Premier League champions.
Having helped City end their 35-year wait for silverware with the FA Cup success of 2011, he played an integral part in their title-winning campaign the following year. And last season, which came on the back of a trophyless 2012-13, he overcame the surprise of being dropped as he went on to make 31 appearances in the league to ensure the Blues regained their status as England’s best team.
It had been reported in recent weeks that Hart was in deep discussions with the Blues over a new contract, and he revealed recently that he would be happy to play out the remainder of his playing career at the club. And it has now been confirmed that he has indeed signed a new deal, which is designed to keep him in the blue half of Manchester until the end of the 2018-19 season.
“I’m really happy, I’ve been here a long time now and I want to keep that going,” the England international told the official club website. “The new deal means I get to stay longer – the club’s doing amazing things at the moment, we’ve created history and we want to keep doing that. Wanting to stay here was never going to be an issue for me – I’ve loved every moment since I joined.
“The club’s growing and I’ve been really lucky to be part of the ride. I just want to keep winning with the team and keep developing. A lot of the boys have signed long-term deals, so we’re building as a squad and I think that quite a few of us have been here for a long time now. We’re enjoying building that winning mentality, how the club is growing around us and how we need to grow along with it.”
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