New Hearts investor revealed with a £10m deal in the pipeline at Tynecastle - exclusive
Tynecastle officials are in talks at the moment
Hearts are in talks with the British entrepreneur Tony Bloom about an investment deal which could revolutionise player recruitment at the Edinburgh club. The Brighton and Hove Albion chairman is interested in introducing specialist software owned by his sports analysis companies, Starlizard and Jamestown Analytics, at Tynecastle Park in a move which would transform how potential new signings are assessed.
The Edinburgh News has learned that an agreement worth up to £10m is currently being discussed between Bloom and senior Hearts officials. If finalised, it would see Hearts use similar recruitment analytics which helped Brighton sign and sell players for tens of millions of pounds in recent years.
In return, Bloom could seek to gain a minority stake in the Gorgie club within the next two years if his company’s methods prove fruitful. Should any such proposal involve reducing Foundation of Hearts’ 75.1 per cent shareholding, it would need approved by Foundation members at the time. FoH are Hearts' current majority shareholders on behalf of supporters. For now, the deal with Bloom does not require FoH approval or involve any share transfer as it is based solely on him providing Hearts with bespoke analysis technology.
That would enable those at Tynecastle to prepare for the January transfer window - and each window thereafter - with a new perspective and look at players in a different dimension. There would be no tie-up with Brighton as both clubs would remain separate from one another.
Bloom's record at Brighton speaks for itself. They spent more than £200m during this year's summer transfer window, making six all-time record signings. They have also made more than £300m on player sales in recent years, including some enormous fees.
Brighton bought Moises Caicedo from the Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle for £4m in January 2021 and sold him to Chelsea for £100m in 2023. Alexis Mac Allister joined Brighton for £6.9m from Argentinos Juniors in 2019 and was transferred to Liverpool in 2023 when they triggered the £35m release clause in his contract. The Premier League side also made huge profits selling Marc Cucurella to Chelsea for £56m, Ben White to Arsenal for £50m, Yves Bissouma to Tottenham Hotspur for £25m and Leandro Trossard to Arsenal for £21m.
Hearts would not be dealing in the same numbers since the Scottish football transfer market operates at a lower level than England's. However, provided negotiations with Bloom reach a successful conclusion, they will hope to benefit from a similar approach by signing, developing and then selling players for profit on a long-term basis. Bloom conducted an external review of Hearts’ structure this year and identified areas to improve.
The data analysis of Starlizard and Jamestown Analytics is regarded as among the best in the sporting world. The companies specialise in specific algorithms which are effective for the gambling industry and for identifying sportsmen with particular skills and attributes who have the potential to develop into major assets.
As well as being majority shareholder and chairman at Brighton, Bloom is also a minority shareholder in the Belgian side Royal Union Saint-Gilloise. His involvement and investment there have helped them become title contenders. He could obtain a future stake in Hearts by reaching an agreement with minority shareholders.
However, any proposal which would see him gain some of Foundation of Hearts’ 75.1 per cent holding in the club would need ratified through a vote. It would require 90 per cent approval from more than 8,000 FoH members to go through.