Hearts have made an official move to bring Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes to Tynecastle as they step up the search for Neil Critchley’s successor.
The 53-year old has delivered success with St Johnstone, Aberdeen and Kilmarnock throughout his time as a head coach in Scottish football and a big part of that has been his signings. It’s fair to say the former Rangers midfielder has a preference for UK based players which brings up the question of what that means for the current oversees players at Tynecastle and the club’s current recruitment process involving Jamestown Analytics.
Here are the 116 signings that McInnes made for Aberdeen and Kilmarnock:
77. Daniel McKay
McInnes arived at Kilmarnock in January 2022 and his first signing was Dan McKay on loan from Hibs. The winger managed ten league appearances and later spent time at Inverness and Livingston before signing for Partick Thistle | SNS Group
78. Ash Taylor
Signed for a third time by McInnes the towering Welshman scored in the penultimate game of the Championship season against Arbroath which saw Killie secure promotion. He spent the next season in Ayrshire before moving to Bradford City. | SNS Group
79. Dylan Tait
Another loan signing from Hibs in his first transfer window in January 2022. Tait managed just seven league appearances and has gone on to play for Arbroath, Hamilton Accies and now Championship winners Falkirk | SNS Group
80. Kyle Lafferty
The veteran striker had left Killie in 2021 but came back to help them secure the Championship title and earned a contract extension before leaving the following year for Linfield. | SNS Group