Hearts' different midfield options and a possible transfer ahead of the Celtic match
Premiership top-of-the-table meeting is this Sunday at Tynecastle
Losing the Scottish Premiership’s most influential midfield pairing is a significant blow to Hearts as they prepare to host Celtic. Cammy Devlin and Beni Baningime are out through injury and suspension respectively, robbing the league leaders of two dominant figures for Sunday’s top-of-the-table fixture. Replacing them is challenging, to put it mildly.
Ideally, the club’s recruitment partner, Jamestown Analytics, would simply pluck two like-for-like replacements from the Syrian third division or somewhere similarly obscure. JTA do specialise in unearthing hidden gems. The problem is: There aren’t lots of Devlin/Baningime types floating around the January transfer market ready to be catapulted into a ferocious Scottish football fixture. Devlin has been the best player in the country this season, with Baningime a perfect foil.
Compounding an already difficult situation is the fact other Hearts midfielders are recovering from injury. Irishman Oisin McEntee and Brazilian Eduardo Ageu have a very slim chance of being fit to face Celtic but are short on match practice. Woefully so in the case of Ageu. The Australian Calem Nieuwenhof and academy graduate Finlay Pollock are still not fit after long-term injuries. Plus Sander Kartum has joined Wellington Phoenix on loan.
That leaves Blair Spittal and Tomas Magnusson as Hearts’ only fit recognised midfielders as things stand. Defender Harry Milne filled in there for Saturday’s Scottish Cup tie against Falkirk, which ended in a penalty-shootout defeat for the hosts at Tynecastle. Head coach Derek McInnes held talks with sporting director Graeme Jones over the weekend in an effort to reinforce the central area via the transfer market. The outcome of those will become clearer in the coming days.
So, what are the options should a new recruit not materialise? Recalling Macaulay Tait from his season-long loan at Livingston would help, but the exact terms of the loan agreement and recall date are private, so that may not be possible now. Another player who could step into midfield is Jordi Altena. The Dutchman was signed at the start of the month from RKC Waalwijk as a right-back but he was a midfielder to trade in his younger days. He possesses the technical ability to survive in there against Celtic’s Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, etc.
Michael Steinwender is expected to play right-back for Hearts in any case to cope with pacy Celtic forwards. Therefore, shunting Altena into midfield could solve a problem in some way. However, Spittal’s grit would likely be more suited to this type of frantic encounter. There is also still hope that McEntee might be available and he will be given every chance to prove himself after a groin problem. If can even last part of the game, he will be involved. Likewise captain Lawrence Shankland, with more news on his injury expected over the next 48 hours. Either way, McInnes’ comments at the weekend confirmed he definitely wants to explore the possibility of signing a new midfielder.
“We've got eight days and we'll see how everybody is and who is going to be available,” he said. “It would be nice to know in the early part of the week exactly where we stand with that because midfield is a key area of the pitch. We are a bit short there at the minute and we could do with some bodies back.”
Asked if he would look at a new signing, he replied. “Possibly, yes. I've spoken to the board. I'll speak to Graeme Jones again today [Sunday] and see where we are. Sander Kartum’s deal was done last week ahead of these latest injuries. We are hoping Ageu is back for Celtic but I think it's a big ask [to throw him in]. We are hoping Oisin might be back but there's no certainty with that. That middle area of the pitch is a wee bit of a concern at the minute.”