Hearts have ended their summer transfer window after a busy period of comings and goings at Tynecastle.
The Jambos hired Wouter Vrancken as head coach after Derek McInnes joined Premiership rivals Rangers and with him have followed a host of new signings. Some initial teething issues against high quality European opponents were present but the club are now unbeaten in seven across all competitions and into the Conference League’s league phase.
Already some of the new recruits have started to shine in Gorgie and there’s reason for optimism over the rest in a recruitment drive heavily backed by investor Tony Bloom’s Jamestown Analytics software. Here’s how we’ve rated the summer transfer window at Hearts.
13. Aron Benjaminsen - N/A
See Leart Kabashi for more details. Both teenagers look really promising but patience is needed as they take big jumps in their respective careers. | Youtube
14. Wouter Vrancken - 10/10
The sole 10/10 is going to the new gaffer. Every time you speak with Vrancken, you get the sense of a man in command, at peace with his beliefs, and with the total buy-in of everyone around him. His style of play is a shift from predecessor McInnes' more pragmatic approach but Hearts now have the feel of a team that have accelerated away from the rest and into their own mini league of sorts with the Old Firm. That is in part down to how well the Belgian has done to steady a ship that suffered the heaviest of blows at the end of last season. Keeping him and his high-octane attacking style long-term vital as Vrancken has 'best manager in the league' vibes. | SNS Group
15. Outgoings - 8/10
Nobody in July was doubting how big McInnes, Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin's exits were, not to mention Beni Baningime, Frankie Kent, Schwolow, Michael Steinwender and Alexandros Kyziridis also going. This category is defined by if Hearts were to stall without them but their replacements to this point have managed to either maintain their success or in some cases look arguable upgrades. Keeping Claudio Braga is huge but overall Hearts have dealt with their outgoings in fine fashion. | SNS Group
16. Overall - 9/10
It was a turbulent window of highs and lows for Hearts, but they appear to have come out the other side of it as a team ready for the challenges of now, with massive upside for becoming even stronger. Jamestown's identification work appears to have gone up a notch as several of these recruits look either ready for the challenges on their door or certainly have shown signs that in time they will thrive. James Wilson also a player reborn after loan at Tottenham and the Vrancken hire already looks excellent. | SNS Group