Hearts explain their plans for more transfers in and out of Tynecastle as Lawrence Shankland nears a return

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley admitted the club are still working on more potential signings after four new arrivals this month. Elton Kanbangu and Jamie McCart were joined this week by Michael Steinwender and Sander Kartum, but Tynecastle officials are not finished in the January transfer window.

A pacy wide player remains on their wishlist and there could also be some players departing before the winter registration period ends at 11pm on 3 February. Critchley gave his view when asked about the prospect of more incomings and indicated that the final week of the window could be busy.

“It's always a difficult question to answer because if I say yes and then no-one turns up or say no and then someone does it, you get accused of lying or playing your cards close to your chest,” said Critchley. “Anything can happen in January, we're still looking, we're still searching. Obviously our squad now, if you looked at the numbers, is slightly top heavier, although some players have also departed in January.

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“So there might be one or two exits, but that might mean that one or two might arrive as well and it could be a busy last week of January. But we're really happy with the work that we've done so far and the players that we've brought in. Jamie, Elton, Michael and Sander, we think they'll contribute and reinforce us and strengthen us for the future. But also, that might mean one or two are looking to probably gain regular football somewhere else.”

Steinwender and Kartum are the two most recent arrivals as Critchley works on reshaping the first-team squad at Riccarton. “Yeah, delighted,” he said. “They are players we've been tracking for a while really, excited to bring them both here. We think they can impact the group immediately but also be good for us long term.

“We have to just get the balance right of getting them up to speed as quickly as possible but also doing that in a safe manner because both of their seasons finished end of November, early December, so they've not actually had football for a period of time.

“Michael is a defender that we think will be well-suited to the style of the team that we want to build. Really good guy, good age, we think he's got more potential and development to come. Sander will give us some balance at the top end of the pitch, real attacking creativity. He can score a goal, create a goal, connect the game together for us, he's technically very good. So we're excited to have them both here, we've worked hard to bring them here, behind the scenes, a lot of work that's gone on. I'm sure they'll both be great additions for this football club.”

As Hearts prepare to welcome Kilmarnock to Tynecastle on Saturday, Critchley revealed captain Lawrence Shankland is close to returning from a calf injury. “Possibly, yeah. He's done more training this week so that'll be a decision that we have to make on Lawrence and whether we think he's had enough to be in contention for the squad,” explained the manager.

“He has been back out on the grass in training. Who knows, that little break might actually do him the world of good because he played virtually every minute of every game. So we're hopeful that maybe just refreshed him mentally and physically a little bit. But we also have to make sure he's done enough to be included.

“Gerald Taylor and Calem Nieuwenhof, we had a little game here in the week and they played more minutes and so they're in a much better position than what they were. So we're getting there injury-wise. We've not suffered too many injuries other than, unfortunately, Frankie [Kent] and Kings [Stephen Kingsley], one or two obviously being out. But we've got a pretty healthy squad at the moment and as always it's about picking the right team and picking the right formation and hopefully then the players can deliver.”

Kilmarnock’s visit to Tynecastle is Hearts’ first home game since beating Motherwell 1-0 on 2 January. The hosts are unbeaten in 2025. “Yeah, really looking forward to it. It does seem a while ago since the Motherwell game, although it's not that long ago,” remarked Critchley. “We've had lots of games, we played very well against Motherwell that day.

“We are unbeaten so far in January and we're building some momentum. You can see that within the group, there's a good energy and positivity about the group on a daily basis. But we're also under no illusions, we want to continue to win football matches because as quickly as it can change in a positive way, it can turn the other way.

“We're not getting carried away, there's no complacency. There's a good mentality about the group at the moment, good focus, good intensity to our game. Some of the margins in the games recently have been going our way and that's down to how we've been playing the game.

“You earn your own luck sometimes and I think we've deserved that little bit of fortune in some of the games because of how we've played. Kilmarnock will be a tough test, as we already previously experienced this season. But we're at home and generally our home form has been good, our performances have been good so far at Tynecastle.”

Results have increased confidence within the camp in recent weeks. “Yeah you do, you feel it around the training ground on a daily basis,” acknowledged Critchley. “I think going a period of games where you're unbeaten and you've been winning games definitely helps with the positivity and the energy within the group.

“We're certainly not getting carried away, we're not where we want to be. We just want to keep continuing with our good form and moving forward and reinforcing what we've been doing well and reminding the group of what we're good at. That's got us the wins and the points that we've picked up and we know Kilmarnock will be a tough test for us again on Saturday. But at Tynecastle, I've enjoyed and we've enjoyed playing there and we need to continue the form that we're in.”

Kilmarnock have beaten Hearts at Tynecastle and Rugby Park already this season, although manager Derek McInnes has a multitude of injury problems ahead of the weekend. “Well, what you learn from the games are that they're very tough to play against,” explained Critchley. “Obviously you're playing against an extremely well-organised, aggressive team that have a physical threat, some quality in wide areas and up front. And obviously Derek is a vastly experienced manager and a successful one who knows how to get the best out of his players and they do it very well.

“We know it's a really tough game. I thought they were excellent against Celtic last week in the [Scottish] Cup, gave them a real fright and lots of problems. So we know we're in for a tough game. However, we're in good form and we've got to try and be ourselves and play our game and take the game to Kilmarnock - get the crowd behind us and try and enjoy being back at Tynecastle again.”

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