OPINION
The life of a professional goalkeeper can be a fickle one.
One minute you’re everybody’s hero, a towering presence marshalling everything in front of you, the next, after literally one mistake, you can become a pantomime villain, chastised by pundits and written off by fans.
Just ask Joe Hart.
The former England number one was very much the golden boy between the sticks for quite some time in this country, winning titles galore with Manchester City and largely remaining unchallenged during his stint with the Three Lions.
But then Pep Guardiola took the wheel at the Etihad and the 6’4″ colossus [Transfermarkt] was deemed surplus to requirements.
Since then he has been passed from pillar to post, and if a report in The Sun is to be believed, he could be on the move again this summer.
Stoke City are said to be interested in giving him a regular starting berth in the Championship, and that is brilliant news for Aston Villa.
If the Potters do take Hart off Burnley’s hands then that will free up Jack Butland for a big money move.
According to the Sun, the Villans are lining up a £20 million bid for the 26-year-old in what would represent a very tidy piece of business.
Butland is too good for the second tier, and the sooner he is back in the top flight, the better.
Villa seem like the ideal destination for the England international, and the first step towards securing that move is to get the transfer merry-go-round up and running with yet another move for poor Joe Hart.