Tynecastle officials stay busy as the January window nears an end

Hearts officials are still working to sign a new striker before Monday night’s transfer deadline having distanced themselves from some initial targets. The Ugandan winger Rogers Mato has arrived in Edinburgh and should complete his move from FK Vardar in the next few days. Tynecastle management want one more new recruit in addition to Mato as they search for a different type of centre-forward.

The Hearts head coach Derek McInnes admitted today that some clubs and players are asking for unrealistic money in transfer fees and wages. Sports data firm Jamestown Analytics helps Hearts identify signing targets, although negotiations have then been stop-start in many cases. McInnes wants a striker with a physical presence who can play with his back to goal whilst captain Lawrence Shankland recovers from injury.

Hearts signed Dutch right-back and Kazakh winger Islam Chesnokov earlier this month, plus midfielder Marc Leonard on loan from Birmingham City. Mato and St Johnstone winger Josh McPake were captured on pre-contract agreements. McPake will move to Gorgie this summer but Mato is now in the country after Hearts agreed a deal with Vardar. Focus is on firmly on the hunt for a striker.

Speaking to the Edinburgh News, McInnes explained that the process is not straightforward and Hearts will not be held to ransom. “The difficulty we have is there are things you think are doable so you show an interest. Because of the whole link with Jamestown and the fact we are top of the league, people can then start to change their valuations and wages get inflated. Ones we think we can do start to become a bit more problematic and outwith our reach.

“We are not awash with money. We still have to recruit smartly and still have to pay Hearts wages. A lot of the time, that takes us out of the equation. We would still like to bring one in. That's proving a wee bit more difficult. Even after identifying players, the money side of it is running away from us at the minute. It's a constant battle to overcome that.”

Provided Mato’s UK immigration paperwork is processed on time, he could be involved in Hearts’ Premiership match at Dundee United this weekend. He has agreed a long-term contract but only has an outside chance of featuring on Saturday as things stand. “Possibly. It's something we need to weigh up and discuss,” said McInnes. “It's similar to Chesnokov because Rogers hasn't played since the AFCON tournament a few weeks ago. He hasn't done any real football training with a team so it's been difficult for him to keep on top of that side of it.

“We are keen to work with the players we sign as quickly as possible. I'm just trying to be fair to them and the team. We are in a situation in the league where it's not like we are just sitting mid-table and seeing out a season. Every game has so much riding on it for us. I think we are a very fit team anyway and you saw that at the weekend. We need to play with that level of fitness. It's unfair to ask players [to play] who are maybe not at that level yet. We'll see with Mato. I wouldn't rule him out for the weekend if we can get it done.”

The new faces at Riccarton will force existing Hearts players to continue performing at the highest level if they want to stay in the team. “When you make any signing, you are looking for that impact from the player. It's also up to others to respond,” said McInnes. “When you sign good players, that's what you get. There are a lot of players well established here and playing a lot of games. It's a constant reminder to everybody that they've got to keep their levels. That's what happens often when you sign good players. If you sign players that don't work, sometimes you get the opposite effect.”