Former Hearts duo turn unlikely transfer brokering pair as they help sell star on Premiership move to rival
A former Hearts duo have helped convince a star to make a Scottish football transfer
An unlikely former Hearts duo have combined to help sell a striker on joining a Premiership rival.
Clubs in the top flight are racing to get deals over the line before Thursday’s 5pm deadline. Helping St Mirren in that pursuit has been Hearts hero Mark De Vries, who shone for the club between 2002-2005, and ex-midfielder Orestis Kiomourtzoglou. His spell in 2022-2023 was less successful and he was last spotted in the German third tier at Wehen Wiesbaden.
The Buddies played out a pulsating 3-3 draw at home to Motherwell on Sunday and debuting striker, Nikolas Agrafiotis, had his Scottish football connections helping him seal a move to Paisley. He started the six-goal thriller and lasted an hour, having only been announced that morning, following a stint in the third tier of German football with Wiesbaden.
What former Hearts stars helped sell striker on St Mirren move?
De Vries worked with him at Dutch club FC Dordrecht in a coaching capacity and another ex-Jambo, Kiomourtzoglou, played with him most recently in Germany. Marinus Dijkhuizen, formerly of Dunfermline Athletic, was his boss at Excelsior in Holland. Now he works under Saints head coach Craig McLeish.
"I've known for a few weeks. I've always had some interest from Scottish football,” said Agrafiotis. “When I was in the Netherlands, I decided to go to Germany, but I felt this was the right moment to come here. In Germany, I played alongside Orestis Kiomourtzoglou who was at Hearts a few years ago.
“I had some coaches in the Netherlands - Mark De Vries, I think he was a striker at Hearts as well. He told me about Scottish Football. My former coach Marinus Dijkhuizen [ex-Dunfermline Athletic] also played in Scotland. They said very good things about Scottish football and I'm happy to be here. After this first game, I know it's a good place for me.
Why Nikolas Agrafiotis has joined St Mirren?
"It was amazing. I enjoyed every second of it. I think the team played very well. It was up and down and a really open game. I wasn't expecting it to be like that but I was told about it and I prepared myself a little bit.
"The ideas of the coaches. In Germany, the football is completely different. It's also very intense and up and down but without an idea. I had a meeting with the coach and he told me how he wants to play football. He likes to attack and that is what inspired me to come here."