Beni Baningime reveals his thoughts on his Hearts contract, players' anger at St Mirren, and Hibs' motivation

There is a calmness about Beni Baningime that people might not expect right now. Despite Hearts pursuing their first Scottish league title since 1960, and Baningime’s contract expiring, the Congolese midfielder is not even remotely flustered. He is as calm discussing these pressures as he is dealing with hustling opponents on the pitch.

Baningime’s deal at Tynecastle Park is due to finish this summer. He is a key component of a team sitting top of the William Hill Premiership as one of the best and most influential midfielders in the country. Yet there is no new proposal on the table. Jamestown Analytics, Hearts’ data analysis partner, did not recommended a contract offer for Baningime despite team-mates Craig Halkett and Harry Milne signing extensions late last year. Baningime says there is now some dialogue between the club and his agent on the subject.

The 27-year-old is hugely popular with supporters in Gorgie, who will hope for some sort of agreement in the coming weeks. Baningime insists the issue is not playing on his mind. “Not at all. I'll be so real with you, I haven't thought about it,” he said. “Right now, there's no time for that. There's no time for individual egos and ‘I want this’ or ‘I want that’. My agent and the club are in contact and they're speaking. I know there were rumours out there saying they're not offering me a contract. So yeah, I'll just clear that up. We are in contact.”

The player’s contract ran down in 2024 and he didn’t sign an extension until May that year. “It's the same thing. I've been through this before and, ultimately, we're in a quest to win the league,” he pointed out. “Last time I think we were third. We were third two years ago and we finished third. So we were in a good run both times but this is something new for us. So there's no thinking about me individually or ‘I need to do this’ or ‘I need to do that’. It's about the team.

“I think everything sorts itself out. It always sorts itself out. It’s not just me - it’s Cammy [Devlin], it's Frankie [Kent]. I think that might be it, so there's a few of us. Right now, we don't speak about it. It will get sorted out at one point but, right now, I have to think about the next game against Hibs. That's it.”

Ahead of this Tuesday’s Edinburgh derby, Hearts must overcome disappointment and frustration following the 1-0 defeat at St Mirren two days ago. It was only their third league loss of the campaign and included a red card for centre-back Halkett, who is now suspended against Hibs. Miguel Freckleton’s late header consigned the visitors to defeat in Paisley. Baningime played in the game after his own suspension for a red card against St Mirren at Tynecastle three weeks previously.

“It’s a tough one, yeah,” he said of Tuesday’s result. “It must have been about five minutes to go or something like that. I think ultimately we're putting ourselves in situations. I was a part of it last time - putting ourselves in situations like that. Eventually, you're going to lose a game like that. If it's 11 v 11, maybe the outcome is different. I don't think we lack discipline. There's no malice or whatever. It's just mistakes and then we were having to rectify it. We need to stop doing that for sure, otherwise you've got no chance.”

The Hearts dressing-room at full-time was a place full of emotion. “It's a bit of anger. It's a bit of everything. It's a bit of passion,” said Baningime. “Credit to St Mirren for continuing to go on. I'm not speaking against them specifically, but you don't feel like you got beaten. You feel like you beat yourself. The better team won on Tuesday. I think that is the frustration, that you feel like you've beaten yourself. That is the feeling around the place.

“We just have to move on as quickly as possible because the next game is massive. Hibs are going to want to put us in our place. Right now we have to evaluate, take a few days. We had a day off, so it’s perfect. Just sit at home and think about the game. As soon as you come back in the next time, it's done. That's the only way. That's the way the best teams do it.”

Baningime is one of Hearts’ more experienced players. Alongside other leading figures, he helps set standards within the camp. That includes motivating others and keeping people positive after a difficult result. “Of course. It could be me, it could be Cammy, it could be Shanks [Lawrence Shankland], it could be the older boys. I think most of the boys, they understand what's going on.

“There are going to be challenges along the way. Everything that was spoken about in the changing room was along the lines of: ‘Boys, you've got a day off. Clear your head. Think about the game. Let it hurt. Use that feeling to drive you as much as possible. But ultimately, as soon as you come back in, when we're next in, that loss has to be gone because you can't carry it into a derby because the derby's going to be intense. They're a great side.’ In the derbies, it actually doesn't matter where the teams are in the league. It's going to be a derby and we need everyone to be ready to step up. We're missing Halks so that's another one.”

A derby is, of course, the ideal game to follow when you need a reaction. “No better game at all. The next two games are massive - Hibs then Rangers. They are the two huge games,” stated Baningime. “Ultimately, for us right now, we need to stand up as men, we need to respond and we've done that all season. Hopefully it's the same thing.

“I think the questions have been going on from what? Since September? The gaffer and the staff tell us that ultimately it doesn't matter what everyone thinks. It's what we're doing. These are things that happen. I watch the Premier League and Arsenal drop points. That's football. You're going to drop points. Ultimately, it's how you respond. It's not about what anyone's saying out there. It's about us, it's about what we're doing and trying to make this season as special as possible. Hopefully we can do that.”

Baningime is eager to re-establish himself in the Hearts team after the aforementioned two-game ban. Marc Leonard’s loan arrival from Birmingham City increases competition in the central midfield department, where Oisin McEntee, Tomas Magnusson and Blair Spittal are already jostling. Devlin, when he returns from an ankle injury, will go back into the side.

“It's been frustrating for sure as an individual, but I think we've got a great depth. It didn't look like they missed me at all and that's a good thing,” said Baningime. “That's what we have. We're going to miss Halks. We're going to miss Cammy and Shanks, but I think that's the depth we have. Even when I was out, it didn't look like we were missing. These are great players and they're a big reason why we are successful. I think we have boys who are going to stand up to it and they have to rise up and take the opportunity, for sure.

“Marc is a great player. You can see his quality. One of the biggest things that impresses me is off the ball. He understands this league, being from here. He understands the club. He understands the culture of it. He's fitted into the club like a glove. That's the greatest compliment I can give. He's such a great player. But I think more than that, he's coming into a team that's doing very well and just fitting in straight away. It's not easy at all, but his character and his ability speaks for itself.”