Exclusive:Hearts' transfer deadline plan - and one player fighting for his place
Derek McInnes explains signings and team shape as the Premier Sports Cup approaches
It is unlikely that Hearts’ summer recruitment drive is finished as they prepare to finalise their seventh and eighth new signings. Sabah Kerjota and Pierre Landry Kabore are in Edinburgh to join Derek McInnes’ revamped squad at Tynecastle Park. With more than seven weeks until the transfer deadline on 1 September, there is plenty time for yet more new recruits.
For now, head coach Derek McInnes is content with business done ahead of Saturday’s first competitive match of the new season - the Premier Sports Cup opener against Dunfermline Athletic. Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, Portuguese forward Claudio Braga, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Belgian striker Elton Kabangu and Scottish centre-back Stuart Findlay are the signings so far.
Albanian winger Kerjota and Burkinabe forward Kabore should soon join them once their respective UK immigration paperwork is complete. McInnes has no immediate plans to add any more players to Hearts’ first-team squad. However, he will continue to look, assess and be ready to move if necessary. Much will depend on which players can be moved out in the coming weeks.
“Once we get the two wingers and we have good attacking options, you are always looking just to see if there is anything else before a window closes,” McInnes told the Edinburgh News. “I'm quite happy with how the squad is shaping up. If we can just add a bit more pace, a bit more width, options in wide areas, I think that will help everybody.”
The intention is to implement an energetic, aggressive side capable of pressing opponents high to suffocate their attacking intent at source. That will be the plan from kick-off against Neil Lennon’s Dunfermline. “We would like to. Sometimes you can't get after teams because they don't allow you to start that way. They will kick and get everybody up the pitch so it isn't always obvious to get that press going,” explained McInnes.
“If a team will take you on and take the ball at the back, then of course it's up to us to show our intent to win it back. Every game is different but the intention is to get off to a strong start and impose ourselves on the game. Sometimes games are more straightforward, sometimes it takes longer, but we certainly see the importance of keeping the crowd with the team.
“If we don't get an early goal or the start that we want, it's important we still have the courage to keep doing what we want. I want us to be a team that run and puts our will on to the opposition, but I'm also aware that some sides make that difficult. Dunfermline will back themselves to come and have a go, but there will be times that they sit in. We have to be ready for any scenario. Patience can be key - patience and tempo.
“I want us to be positive in possession with players willing to make forward runs to break lines rather than just play in front of teams. Hopefully, we get a wee flavour of that on Saturday. I think these League Cup games will be the type of games where you are looking for your wingers and pacy players to have an impact to unlock teams. We don't have that quite right at the minute in terms of getting personnel in, but I still think we can go and impart a semblance of what we are trying to do.”
Who are Hearts’ wingers for season 2025/26?
One player certain to play at least some part is winger Alan Forrest, who offers pace, a goal threat and can operate on either flank. His form over three years at Hearts has been inconsistent but, at his best, he is a danger to most teams. Forrest scored three goals in Hearts’ four successive wins under interim head coach Liam Fox at the end of last season. He has continued applying himself under the new management team with goals and assists in pre-season friendlies.
McInnes explained that the 28-year-old, now in the final year of his contract, is fighting for his place in a quiet but determined manner. “I love Alan's approach,” admitted the manager. “He is the type of boy who, if you ask him to do something, he'll never complain. He is just glad to get the shirt and give his all. He will do whatever he needs to do. I do think he is better playing off the left. He can be a bit more effective and work towards goal off that left side.
“He can go both ways, left and right, but he is probably the one who can play on the right more naturally. We tried Sander Kartum in those areas. He played the second half on the right against East Kilbride the other night and was very effective as well as a left-footed player coming inside.
“From day one in [fitness] testing, Alan could probably have given up a couple of stations before he actually did. He kept going and you could see he gave everything to get the highest possible score. I just think that sums him up. He's got that willingness to give you his lot. He has managed to rack up quite a lot of games at Hearts now and he is gaining that experience, but I still think there is a wee bit more to come from him.”
In defence, Frankie Kent, Craig Halkett and Michael Steinwender are the main options this weekend. Findlay must serve suspension carried over from last season’s Premier Sports Cup with Kilmarnock, and Jamie McCart is facing six to eight weeks out with a ligament injury. Again, McInnes is blessed with options in that department.
“Stephen Kingsley can play in there if you decide to play a back three at any point,” he remarked. “Not so long ago, we looked like we had a couple of defenders too many. Then you lose James Penrice [to AEK Athens], Lewis Neilson goes on loan to Falkirk, Jamie McCart gets injured and Stuart Findlay is suspended, which I knew when I signed him. Suddenly, you aren't as well-off as you thought. That's just how it goes sometimes.
“We still have the luxury of good options to call upon. I think you need that, especially early in the season when players do pick up little knocks because the demands of the games come quickly. There are four League Cup games and Craig Gordon's testimonial, so it's five games in a short period of time. Once we start to go week-to-week in the league, then it becomes a bit more difficult to juggle all your options. I'm just glad we have Michael, Frankie and Craig to call upon in central defence.”
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