Exclusive:Tom Renaud to Hearts transfer latest as £20m EPL man backs the Tynecastle deal

Every signing in football is a risk to some extent. Hearts are preparing another Jamestown-driven leap into the unknown by signing midfielder Tom Renaud from the third tier of French football. Pronounced like the country’s car manufacturer Renault, the 25-year-old is very much a cost-effective model poised to join Hearts as a free agent. Don’t mistake inconspicuous for poor quality.

Sabah Kerjota, Alexandros Kyziridis and Claudio Braga were plucked from relative obscurity on Jamestown’s recommendation last year. Kerjota was sourced from Italy’s Serie D, Kyziridis from Slovakia and Braga from Norway’s second division. Renaud is a similar, carefully-calculated gamble. He is playing out the final weeks of his FC Versailles contract before leaving France’s Championnat National for a higher platform. His mind is set on the Scottish Premiership.

What should Hearts fans expect? Renaud is a multitalented No.6, a holding midfielder with sufficient aggression and technical nous to prowl his zone with authority. He is 6ft tall with an athletic frame and possesses one attribute Jamestown value highly: Reliability. An average of 29 appearances each season over the last five years proves he very rarely misses games through injury.

His range of passing is varied, he is partial to a diagonal ball and he isn’t shy when it comes to tackles and headers. All in all, he looks a capable acquisition who will cost Hearts nothing from the French lower leagues. Is he ready for such a leap? Those who know him certainly believe so. Enzo Le Fée, the Sunderland midfielder, has been Renaud’s close friend since childhood and was his team-mate at former club Lorient. He spoke exclusively to the Edinburgh News to offer some encouraging words for Hearts supporters.

Renaud consulted Le Fée about the impending move to Scotland knowing his mate played at Tynecastle Park last July after a £20m transfer to the English Premier League from Italian giants Roma. Le Fée anticipates a few surprises next season from a player needing a tougher challenge than France’s third division. “I have known Tom since we were six. I grew up with him and we played together right through until we became professionals,” he says.

“He is a good guy, really quiet, and he is not someone who will cause a lot of problems. He is a really good friend, but he has changed a bit. His mind wasn’t ready for the professional football world before. Now he is more like: ‘I know my target and I will fight to get it.’ This is the time for him to take another step in his career.

“He didn’t have these ambitions when he was young. He took a bit of time to be ready to play in a big league. He wasn’t ready to be a professional or to have that sacrifice. It wasn’t the best time for him. He went on loan to the third league in France [with SO Cholet], he was away from his family and friends. I think this is why he took a bit of time. When he signed his first professional contract, he wasn’t like: ‘Now I need to focus to be a professional.’ He didn’t know at that time where he wanted to go. Now it’s his mind that is different. Now he realises, ‘I’ve got this quality and I should play at a higher level’.

If Renaud is underachieving until this point in his career, the move to Hearts is designed to expose him to greater demands. Le Fée has gone on to command nearly £60m in transfer fees after leaving Lorient for Stade Rennais, then moving on to Roma and Sunderland. He has been waiting years to see his pal step up. “As a friend, I have been telling him for four or five years that he has to play at a higher level,” stresses Le Fée.

“I said: ‘You can’t stay in the third league in France.’ You can see every time that it’s too easy for him. Going away from France will be really good for him. Now is the perfect time for him to show everyone his qualities. I think he can be a better human, a better professional and learn a different pressure. He will need a bit of time to adapt when he gets to the Scottish league. After that, once he is okay, I think it will be really good for him and for Hearts.

“He will need time to understand how much you have to give on the pitch - fighting for every duel and you have to run a lot as a midfielder. In the league where he plays now, he can do a bit less because he is one of the best midfielders in that league. Sometimes he can have a bit of complacency but in the duels, when Tom wants to win the ball, nobody can take it from him. He is really strong, he can protect the ball and he has the technique to escape pressure. If Hearts have a really fast winger, he is going to enjoy playing next year because Tom is one of the best I ever saw in my life at playing a pass into space behind a defence. It’s crazy.

“We had a big generation of players when we were young, but Tom had the most quality. He is strong, he can use his right and left foot just the same, he is very technical, his vision is perfect, he can carry the ball, he can keep the ball under pressure and he can shoot. I think he needs to take more risk with his attacking play but he can shoot and deliver crosses. His best quality is that he can switch the play quickly without looking. When we were young, he was one of the best players in our generation. He is really like a complete player.”

Le Fée recalls Sunderland’s pre-season friendly defeat by Hearts last year as something of a jolt. He didn’t expect to arrive from Serie A and suffer a thumping against a side who finished seventh in the Scottish Premiership. No-one knew at the time, but that days was Derek McInnes’ new-look side starting to build momentum for a title challenge.

“We lost 3-0,” sighs Le Fée. “I told Tom I played there already and, although it was a pre-season game, the crowd was crazy. I told him I think he should go there because he will love it. I said it will be really different to where he is now but he will love Hearts. Their team killed us in that game. They were ready to fight and now they are first in the league. I hope for them they are going to win the title.

“Tom told me one or two months ago that he had some contact with Hearts. Sunderland is not too far from Edinburgh so he asked me about the culture, the weather and everything. I tried to answer his questions. He told me: ‘I’m sure I’m going to go there. I spoke with the coach and he told me how much they want me.’ For Tom, this is the most important point. He is someone who needs love, you know? He needs to feel that everyone loves him. It’s the same for a lot of players.

“I told him it will not be easy at the beginning, even if the coach says he wants him and loves his style. He is going to be in another culture with a real professional team where everyone is fighting to play in the team. He can do it. Once he is settled, I think he will shock the league because he is a really good player.”