Hearts manager interviews taking place as the club move on after Derek McInnes' Rangers move

Senior Hearts officials are to interview new manager candidates this week following a board meeting last night. As Rangers prepare to announce Derek McInnes as their head coach, the Edinburgh club are already moving on to identify his successor. They have a compiled a shortlist of names in tandem with recruitment partner Jamestown Analytics and would like an appointment within the next 10 days.

Jamestown put together a list of coaches, both British and foreign, which the Hearts board discussed over the weekend. They have already held informal talks with more than one candidate. The club will now progress to formal interviews in the coming days. The hope is that McInnes’ replacement will be signed and sealed before players report back to Riccarton to begin pre-season preparations on 25 June. The squad depart for a week-long training camp in Spain four days later.

Hearts want a progressive coach in charge for the 2026/27 campaign as they look to mount a challenge again at the top of the Scottish Premiership. Jamestown are keen for new signings to gain maximum exposure on the pitch in order to develop into bigger assets for the club. The new coach will be expected to be on board with that approach and utilise the sizeable first-team squad accordingly.

McInnes has agreed a three-year deal to become the new Rangers manager following a year-long spell at Hearts. With Danny Rohl set to take charge at Red Bull Salzburg in Austria, McInnes has held talks and agreed terms to replace him at Ibrox. A six-figure compensation fee in the region of £700,000 will be due to Hearts. He is currently on a break in America but is now ready for a new chapter of his career in Glasgow.

McInnes arrived in Gorgie from Kilmarnock 12 months ago and oversaw an enthralling Premiership title challenge which only ended in the final minutes of the season at Celtic Park. Hearts finished second in the league with a club record points total and, as a result, will enter the Champions League second qualifying round next month. Whoever takes the job must settle in quickly with high-profile European matches on the horizon.

There are also more new signings to finalise. The arrival of English centre-back Malachi Fagan-Walcott’s from York City is due to be confirmed in the next 48 hours, with French midfielder Tom Renaud to follow after he agreed a deal with Hearts officials. Wingers Josh McPake and Calvin Miller are already signed, as is defender MJ Kamson-Kamara and forward Amadou Ba-Sy.

Hearts lost captain Lawrence Shankland to Rangers last month after he invoked a clause in his contract to leave for free. Midfielder Beni Baningime, defenders Frankie Kent and Lewis Neilson, plus winger Alan Forrest, have all left the club following the expiry of their contracts. Cammy Devlin has been in talks about extending his stay at Tynecastle but so far has not signed any agreement. Goalkeeper Craig Gordon will decide whether to retire after the World Cup with Scotland.