Former West Ham striker Dean Ashton is eager to see Joe Hart provide some competition for places at the London Stadium next season.
BBC Sport has reported that the 30-year-old is set to undergo a medical with the Irons on Monday ahead of a season-long loan move.
Slaven Bilic had a hard time in choosing his No 1 goalkeeper last season, with Darren Randolph and Adrian trading places in the Croat’s starting line-up.
When asked by a fan about the impact that Hart will have at the London Stadium, Ashton responded that the extra body could be of benefit to the Hammers squad.
“We need way more competition for places,” the former England international said on his personal Twitter account on Monday.
https://twitter.com/Walrus01/status/886876671676121088
We need way more competition for places Colin! https://t.co/ZluMCEokdk
— Dean Ashton (@TheDeanAshton) July 17, 2017
Hart is certainly at a cross-roads in his career, having been deemed surplus to requirements at Manchester City by manager Pep Guardiola after last summer’s disastrous displays for England at Euro 2016.
It seems that Bilic is willing to give the goalkeeper a lifeline though, as he still looks to have no chance of earning the No 1 spot at the Etihad despite a poor loan spell at Torino in Serie A last season.
West Ham have been one of the quieter Premier League teams in the transfer market this summer, with Pablo Zabaleta, a former team mate of Hart’s, being Bilic’s only acquisition.