How Hearts coach Lee McCulloch nearly became the club's record signing - featuring Notting Hill, Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant

Lee McCulloch arrived at Hearts back in August as part of Robbie Neilson's coaching staff - two decades after he could have become the club's record signing.

In the late 90s and early 2000s, McCulloch was a promising talent at Motherwell when the Tynecastle side reportedly submitted a bid worth up to £1million.

It would have eclipsed the £750,000 paid to Rangers for Derek Ferguson and would be higher than the reported £850,000 for Mirsad Beslija - the Bosnian remains the club's record signing.

“I actually remember it really well,” Lee McCulloch told Hearts podcast Scarves Around the Funnel. “I always had aspirations of going down south. But before any bid came in I remember an agent calling asking if I’d go to Hearts. I said I definitely would.

"I knew the size of the club, I knew a couple of people in the dressing room. It was something which really appealed to me.

They put a bid in for me and Motherwell knocked it back. I think it was around £1million which is a phenomenal amount of money, especially back then.

“Motherwell said they weren’t letting me go. They doubled my contract without making me sign an extension.”

Notting Hill

Lee McCulloch could have become Hearts' record signing. Picture: SNS

McCulloch, who eventually moved to Wigan Athletic, met with former Motherwell chief John Boyle in London to be persuaded to stay at the club.

An offer was put to the player in an iconic film setting, made famous by Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.

McCulloch said: “John Boyle, the chairman at the time, flew me down to London. He lived in Notting Hill. That time the Notting Hill film was out. His garden was where it was filmed.

“He said ‘I’m going to double your contract, I don’t want you to go, you don’t need to sign an extension, we will sell you because I know you want to go to play in England’.

McCulloch joined Wigan Athletic. Picture: SNS

“He said ‘on another note we’re sitting on the bench where the two of them in Notting Hill sat when the camera came down from the top.”

“I was up for it [the move to Hearts] but it was out of my hands. I still speak to Jim Jefferies about it.”

Listen to the full interview with Lee McCulloch: HERE

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