Edinburgh club preparing for transfer moves

With Edinburgh preparing to welcome Islam Chesnokov as Hearts’ latest signing, Tynecastle officials are exploring prospects for more new recruits. There won’t be another heavy influx in January after 11 players arrived during summer months, but one or two positions are deemed to need strengthened. Sporting director Graeme Jones is liaising with head coach Derek McInnes and sports data recruitment firm Jamestown Analytics to sift through potential options.

Chesnokov is due in the Capital next month after agreeing a pre-contract with Hearts. He will fill the wide-right attacking role occupied by Harry Milne, Alan Forrest, Sabah Kerjota and Landry Kabore at different times this season. The Kazakhstan internationalist is seen as a permanent solution in that area, one who can help Hearts sustain a challenge at the top end of the William Hill Premiership.

Behind him, the right-back area could be improved if Hearts can source the type of player they want. Jamestown are already looking at a number of different areas of McInnes’ team. Norwegian full-back Christian Borchgrevink has largely been hindered by injury since arriving in June from Valerenga. He is now fit but finds himself behind versatile midfielder Oisin McEntee and centre-back Michael Steinwender for his favoured position.

Jones explained that Hearts do intend to be active in January beyond the Chesnokov signing. There is also the possibility of players leaving to reduce the size of McInnes’ 30-man first-team squad. “Every window matters for us. I know that's for every club, but every window matters for us,” said Jones. “We brought in a lot of players in the summer and we knew we were going to bring in a lot of players in the summer because we needed to have that. We didn't get to balance the books as much in terms of players out.

“For January, trust me, it's not as many [coming in] but there are still areas we want to improve and we're actively looking to try and improve. We also have to caveat that with a bloated squad. So it's a bit of give and take. We've obviously got Islam Chesnokov coming in as well. That's exciting and, the more evidence we get on him, the more excited we become with it. So we plan to be active in January, not as active as we were in the summer, but it's all in relation to what's feasible and also maintaining the harmony that we're doing quite well with just now within the squad.”

Asked about specific positions, Jones was slightly vague with the transfer window not due to open until six weeks today. “It's really what's been documented, what a lot of people have detailed, but I think Chesnokov is the one - the big the important one for us in that regard,” he remarked.

As the only point of contact between Hearts and Jamestown, Jones knows the detail being adhered to throughout the recruitment process. He is confident that the relationship with the London-based company gives the Tynecastle club a significant advantage over their competitors when it comes to sourcing suitable talent for Scotland.

“I'm the only point of contact, yes. It's our process, Jamestown are part of it,” he said. “We are really fortunate. I know better than most what Jamestown is and what it can provide us. It's a really unique and useful tool for us to have as a club. It's such a positive thing for us. Me being the only point of contact makes things so much easier for all of us. Me and Derek speak every day. Our offices are right next to each other and we speak every day about everything. Recruitment is part of that. I speak to Jamestown pretty much every day as well.

“What we are constantly striving for is improvement. We want that year-on-year improvement as a club, that sustained success that matches the ambition. Me and Derek speaking every day about the here and now - as well as the future - is the conduit to what Jamestown will produce for us. They don't produce anything we don't ask for. As we saw with the January and summer transfer windows, they can give us an indication on players who might not necessarily be viewed by others as being potential successes within the Scottish league.

“Jamestown gives us that opportunity to be, in my eyes, ahead of the game and also have a unique insight into what will be successful in Scotland. It gives me so much confidence that, as time goes on, we will achieve year-on-year success. I interact with it every day and that relationship between Derek, myself and Jamestown is the most important in terms of first-team recruitment.”

While others whittle down prospective signing targets before presenting them to McInnes, the head coach can focus on coaching and training matters each day at Riccarton. The arrangement appears to be working, with Hearts seven points clear at the top of the Premiership. January is another opportunity to augment an already-strong squad.

“As sporting director, I'm there to facilitate support for Derek and the players, to enable Derek to have as competitive a squad as possible,” said Jones. “He's the manager, he'll coach the team and he'll make the team function. I can look after all the other stuff that Derek, maybe when he was at Aberdeen or Kilmarnock, had to do himself. He has said to me a few times that he's got so much more time now to just focus on footballing matters. To me, that's golden because it means we are functioning far more efficiently.

“I can absorb a lot of the noise in relation to recruitment, player availability, agents, all these parts. Then Derek's involvement is on the specific and important part of deciding what fits, what is going to be successful within our options, and then enabling me to facilitate hopefully bringing these players in. Then it's over to Derek to manage them and make a team out of them. That's the bit I think the club has got absolutely on the money. It is prioritising the different areas. Derek's time is prioritised so his full focus is managing the team. My full focus is on making sure the system supporting him is as effective and efficient as it can be.

“Having one point of contact is just a normal thing that Jamestown would have with us or any other club. My focus is on maintaining relationships on both sides and making sure we get the best players we possibly can. Also, I'll provide the most objective understanding of how we're doing as a team and feed that into Derek's thinking. That all informs his decision-making and management of the team.”

Jones is also negotiating contract extensions with current players. Centre-backs Frankie Kent and Craig Halkett, goalkeeper Craig Gordon, midfielders Beni Baningime and Cammy Devlin, plus winger Forrest are all in the final year of their agreements. Not all of them will stay in Gorgie beyond next summer.

“We've got quite a few, so those talks are ongoing,” said Jones. “I'm not going to really go into the specifics of who and what and where they're all at, but these are all things that are ongoing and it's all part of the process to ensure that we've got the best squad going into next season that we can have. So these things are all ongoing and you'll hear more about that in due course.”