The Hearts management team of Jim Jefferies and Billy Brown have reportedly been in talks with owner Vladimir Romanov this week about their plans to strengthen the first team squad ahead of next season.
Various names have already been touted in the Press as possible new recruits in the summer, with the club already verbally confirming interest in the likes of Kilmarnock’s Mehdi Taouil and Aberdeen’s Zander Diamond.
Obviously a lot will happen between now and the end of the season so it’s most definitely early days as far as actually making any signings is concerned, but it’s heartening to see that Hearts are planning ahead for a change. Too often, particularly in recent years, we have been left behind by others in terms of getting new signings in and integrating them into the squad, so this is encouraging news. It’s also extremely encouraging that the relationship between Romanov and the management team appears to remain solid, as this is something else that’s been lacking until the last year or so when JJ returned. Long may that continue.
As for the potential targets, well, Taouil would certainly appear to be a player that JJ and Brown rate very highly, as illustrated by Brown’s comments in The Scotsman yesterday. He said:
‘He’s had a really good season and is in big demand. He is a player that we’ve always liked.
‘He would give us something different in the middle of the park. He holds the ball in, creates wee situations with his skill and he’s a really good type of person. He’s at the right age and he’s the type Jim and I like at a football club. We hope to get him, but it isn’t a certainty we will get him.
‘He can create things when the game is tight, either by playing a wee threaded ball or by beating men. He’s a 100-per-cent player, he’s good at training and he’s good about the place. Maybe we haven’t got that in midfield at the moment.’
We certainly do not have that in the Hearts midfield at the moment, so if they reckon this guy could come in a give us what we’ve been badly missing there, then this could be a positive move if they can pull it off. I haven’t seen much of the guy at all in the flesh so cannot really comment on how good he is, but there’s no question that there is a place in the side there for a player of his reported ilk.
As for Zander Diamond…..er…..like I said, there’s a long way to go before we make any signings…..!
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Don’t really know enough about this guy to make a judgement, but we are very well stocked with “solid” midfielders who can win tackles and break up play. What we lack is the creative sort – as when Templeton or Rudi are either not playing, or not playing to their best, then we struggle to create chances. Hopefully Taouil or someone like him can be brought in to plug that gap.
Ideally we could do with someone who can create and be a presence in the midfield, bit like Fulton or Bett used to be. It’s a big ask as players like that tend to cost a lot of money!
I think the last 6 weeks have shown that we don’t have enough “spark” players. Taouil and a decent goalscorer like John Sutton or Adam Rooney would be a big step forward in my opinion.
…but would you find a place in your starting XI for both Kyle and Sutton if both were fit?