Former Tottenham star Paul Robinson has stated that Joe Hart will not be intent on remaining as third-choice goalkeeper after sealing his move to north London.
Following Michel Vorm's summer exit from the club after his contract expired, Jose Mourinho moved to bring Hart to the club on a two-year deal following his Burnley exit at the end of the season.
With Hugo Lloris and Paulo Gazzaniga already on the books at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the 33-year-old will be looking to really push the duo and get his career back on track after a few disappointing years after falling out of favour at Man City.
Perhaps not a signing that has excited a lot of Tottenham fans, Robinson believes it is a smart one as the head coach looks to strengthen his squad ahead of a big year for the Lilywhites.
“It’s not a signing that’s going to excite the fans, but when you look at it from other angles it’s a very functional signing," he told bookmakers.co.uk in an exclusive interview.
“He’s had a difficult few seasons. He’s been out of form, he’s been left out of the team, and it’s a completely different role being a number two or number three goalkeeper. It’s a different mentality, you’re training all day and all week with very little chance of playing at the weekend unless there’s an injury or suspension.
“But Tottenham are competing in a lot of competitions and there’s going to be a lot of games. He’s still of an age where he can play week-in-week-out, so it really will strengthen the goalkeeping situation at Spurs.
“For me, it’s a good signing. It’s not one I saw coming, I thought Joe would still have ambitions of being first choice at a Premier League side, maybe a bottom half side but getting to play regularly between now and the end of his career, but Spurs is also a great opportunity for him and it’s a signing that works for both parties.”
With a number of clubs bringing in experienced shot-stoppers over the past few years as their third-choice goalkeepers, Robinson has made it clear that Hart won't be content on sitting on the sidelines and watching on when Spurs are in action.
Chances may actually come his way due to the team's hectic schedule and that will give the 33-year-old the opportunity to move up the pecking order and really challenge Lloris for the No.1 spot.
“I think it’s an interesting one and how the dynamics work for the three of them,” said Robinson.
“Obviously you’ve got a lot of experience in a World Cup winner and top-class goalkeeper like Hugo Lloris and he’s number one, but Gazzaniga came into the side last year and did ok.
“Whether he’ll be moving on and Joe replaces him as number two, we’ll have to see, but I can’t imagine Joe Hart is going to come in just to tick a box as a third-choice goalkeeper.
“We’ve seen that happen with the likes of Rob Green, Scott Carson and Lee Grant in other squads, but I don’t think Hart will have his mind set on that.
“Hugo’s form has been up and down these past couple of seasons and with the amount of competitions Spurs are going to be competing in next season, there’s going to be a lot of games, so there’s going to be opportunities for him to play," he added.
“I don’t see him going there and being happy to just be number three, but when you look at it from a Spurs point of view, that’s a strong batch of goalkeepers they have to work with.”
