Premiership boss admits defeat to Hearts over summer transfer and makes cash gulf claim over Jambos and Hibs

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has pulled the curtain back on his pursuit of a Hearts star - as he made a financial claim over his weekend opponents and Hibs.

The Tannadice side head to Gorgie this weekend for a Premiership clash, and Goodwin knows about Jambos forward Pierre Landry Kabore, with interest in him in the summer. His form in Estonia at Narva Trans attracted Dundee United admiration but it was Hearts who stepped in and sealed a deal, the Burkina Faso international scoring a double last weekend, in a 4-0 rout of Dundee.

He is one star that Goodwin will know his team have to be wary of, but admits it was finances that hampered chances of signing Kabore. Goodwin claims that Dundee United have a gulf between them and what the likes of Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen are able to offer possible recruits.

What Hearts star did Dundee United try to sign?

He said: "I'm pretty sure there would have been a number of teams looking at Kabore. We quickly realised that it wasn't going to be possible financially and moved on. We've identified a lot of good players but for one reason or another, sometimes you can't get these boys in.

"It's to do with finances. You've got to be realistic about the situation. He was certainly a player that had been flagged to us. But where we are financially in comparison to the likes of Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen, that gulf is always there. We try not to make too big an excuse about it but that is the reality.

"You look at the transfer fees that some of these other clubs are able to pay and we're not at that level. We've got to be a little bit different. We have to look outside the box with regards to recruitment. But we've done really well in that department."

Jim Goodwin on Hearts title chances

Goodwin has also weighed in on his side’s Tynecastle chances, and whether or not Hearts can sustain their title charge, sitting nine points clear at the top of the league. He added: "We want to get back to performing to the levels we're capable of, the levels that we've shown all season within games. And we've got to do that from the first minute if we're going to give ourselves a chance. You can't afford to be giving teams a one-goal head start. That's something that we certainly have to stop.

“We have to go there and stifle the firepower that Hearts have. That is going to be really important if we are to get the result we're after. I think it’s very early to be talking about where the league title is going to go – but Hearts have certainly put themselves in a very strong position. That it brings its own added pressure. There’s a level of expectancy that rises within the Hearts support.

“Given the level of investment that’s been made in the squad over the last number of years, I think it’s where the Hearts supporters expect them to be – and they probably haven’t had that consistently enough. Derek McInnes deserves a huge amount of credit for what he’s done. But like I said, that brings its own pressures on the Hearts players. Can they maintain it? Can they stay there? Celtic and Rangers have both made managerial changes and seem to have got a little bit of a bounce with that. It all makes for an exciting Scottish Premiership; that’s for sure.”