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Scotsman
23 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Hearts transfer targets and Jamestown Analytics' role explained in detail
Transfer window has been busy at Tynecastle Park Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nine new signings with potentially more to follow amounts to one of the busiest summers in Hearts' history. Even the once transfer-obsessed Vladimir Romanov would be proud of his old club's dealings. Research on new players is considerably more robust nowadays thanks to Jamestown Analytics. Their secretive workings and relationship with the Edinburgh club remain a source of much fascination. For Derek McInnes, the Hearts head coach, Jamestown's data is an advantageous tool. He was inquisitive at his job interview in May about what the London-based sports recruitment firm do and how they help the Tynecastle club. The partnership was explained in detail, and McInnes then held further talks with Tynecastle's new investor Tony Bloom this week. Jamestown is an offshoot of Bloom's gambling software company Starlizard. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad McInnes has overseen the arrival of nine new recruits since his appointment: Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, Portuguese forward Claudio Braga, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Belgian striker Elton Kabangu, Scottish centre-back Stuart Findlay, Albanian winger Sabah Kerjota, Icelandic midfielder Tomas Bent Magnusson and Burkinabe forward Pierre Landry Kabore. He provided a detailed insight into the inner workings of the Hearts-Jamestown agreement. 'When I was interviewed, it was kind of relayed to me what that looked like,' he said. 'I was quite inquisitive about the parameters and how it all works. Graeme Jones [Hearts sporting director] had given me fine detail about how they see it working. I was obviously encouraged and excited by that. 'In days gone by, for any manager in normal circumstances, you'd get offered a player and you and your staff with your recruitment team would look through maybe eight to 10 hours of footage, watching different types of games, different clips. We're no longer doing that now as a staff, so we're getting the benefit of having these players getting watched to death. 'I don't know how many minutes they look at for every player, but every game that they've played has been watched and analysed and marked and judged and all the rest of it. So, when we then say we're looking for this type of profile, they'll spit out maybe four or five options for us to look at. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Now I must say, we've not signed everybody that's been proposed to us, there's been a few that we've moved away from quite quickly. That's not to say they weren't good players, because they're clearly all good players that Jamestown are offering. A lot of these players come from leagues that you probably wouldn't have been looking in, like Kerjota for instance, and even Magnussen. Hearts transfers and positions in mind 'These are guys that Jamestown have the benefit and the confidence that they're sourcing them before they get their [big] move - if you know what I mean - and they're identifying good players. I think it's clear that every player that they've proposed is a good footballer. It's up to us to try and make those footballers better. Every signing as a manager, it's up to us to try and validate that confidence. when you bring a player in. That's always the way for a manager, when you sign a player you always want to make them work. 'Not every signing is going to work for different reasons. But I do think we all take confidence from the fact that a lot of the work that normally us managers and staff have to go through has all been done, and you're just getting at that end point. Sometimes you see it right away. You watch a player and you watch the clip and you go: 'What a good player he is.' 'We all think the same thing. We could all be sitting in a room as a staff, we just watch the game, we watch the clips, we don't speak while we're watching it. Then it's: 'What a good player he is.' You just get a good feeling about it, and the fact that other people have done their work before they propose them to you, it gives you an added security. An endorsement, I suppose. Normally, it's just my decision or the staff's decision. We feel as though we've got the right people getting us to that point.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Despite the extensive business done so far, Hearts may yet target more new recruits. Adam Forrester's proposed loan move to St Johnstone would leave the right-back department short on cover. Craig Gordon's persistent shoulder injury may also necessitate a move for another goalkeeper, so Jamestown will likely be called upon again before the summer transfer window closes on 1 September. The ability to free up time would appeal to any top-flight football manager in what is a 24/7 job. McInnes is no different. Jamestown remove a fair portion of the laborious process when researching a potential signing target. Consequently, the Hearts head coach should have plenty extra time for other duties at Riccarton. 'I should have, but it doesn't feel like it,' he laughed. 'We're still looking at players all the time, we're still getting stuff proposed to us. There are a few that we've moved on from pretty quickly. There is still loads to do for any manager, particularly during pre-season and particularly in the [transfer] window. Maybe once the window closes we'll get a wee bit more time to do what we want to do, rather than poring over players.' READ MORE: Transfer progress at Tynecastle as defender nears a move
Scotsman
23 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rangers eye La Liga ace and 39-cap Arsenal man as Celtic told to 'raise' bid for Serie A star
Latest transfer news and speculation across Scottish football Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Here is your Wednesday evening Scottish football transfer bulletin including interest in Scotland midfielder John McGinn, new names linked with Rangers and Celtic, Hibs bidding to sign a Zambian internationalist and Hearts making their ninth signing of the summer. John McGinn wanted Newcastle are reportedly weighing up a move for Aston Villa captain John McGinn. Eddie Howe is keen to bolster his midfield options after Sean Langstaff was sold to Leeds for £12million. And according to the Daily Mail, the Magpies boss has placed McGinn high on his list of targets. The Scotland midfielder, who has two years left on his contract, has already been the subject of interest from Everton. Villa boss Unai Emery does not want to lose his skipper, but Villa need to sell players this window with the report insinuating that McGinn could be ready for a fresh challenge after seven years in Birmingham. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Aston Villa captain John McGinn has emerged as a transfer target for Newcastle. | Getty Images Rangers eye La Liga ace and 39-cap Arsenal man Rangers have been linked with another two transfer targets after making winger Oliver Antman their ninth signing of the window earlier this week as Russell Martin's summer rebuild continues. Reports in Spain have credited the Ibrox side with an interest in Real Betis defender Nobel Mendy. Martin and sporting director Kevin Thelwell are said to be keen to sign the 20-year-old Frenchman, but a deal is not close as things stand. Mendy, a 6ft 2in left-sided centre-back, joined Betis from Paris FC in 2023 but has featured mostly for the B team, making only five first-team appearances. He was set to join PSV Eindhoven earlier this summer before the move break down to the Dutch side using up their quota for foreign imports. Rangers could still face competition for Mendy though with Rayo Vallecano and Club Brugge also credited with an interest in the defender. The Light Blues have also been linked with a move for 23-year-old Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein. The 36-times capped Estonia international spent last season on loan at Real Valladolid and is also said to be on the radar of La Liga side Sevilla. His only first-team appearance for Arsenal came in a 3-1 defeat to Brighton in the EFL Cup almost three years ago. Real Betis defender Nobel Mendy (left) is a reported transfer target for Rangers. (Photo by) | Getty Images Gunn signs for Forest Nottingham Forest have signed Scotland goalkeeper Angus Gunn on a one-year deal following his release from Norwich. Gunn, 29, who featured in every game for Scotland at Euro 2024, made 35 appearances for Norwich in the Sky Bet Championship last season and 172 in total during two spells at his hometown club. Forest said: 'Nottingham Forest is pleased to confirm the signing of Angus Gunn, who has signed a one-year-deal. Everyone at the club warmly welcomes Angus to the Forest family.' Gunn signed his first professional contract at Manchester City having started out at Norwich and also had a spell at Southampton before returning to Carrow Road in 2021. He has been capped 16 times by Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad United striker departs Dundee United striker Jort van der Sande has returned to the Netherlands to join second-tier side SC Cambuur on a permanent transfer. The 29-year-old forward failed to score in 35 appearances during his sole season at Tannadice. A club statement read: 'Everyone at Dundee United would like to thank Jort for his professionalism, commitment and contributions during his time in tangerine, as we extend our best wishes for his future endeavours.' Celtic must 'raise' bid for Serie A star Celtic have been credited with an interest in Slovakia international Adam Obert. Sardinian outlet L'Unione Sarda report that the Scottish champions have already made contact with Serie A side Cagliari regarding a potential transfer fee for the 22-year-old defender, with an initial proposal rejected. The report states: "The Slovakian defender, on the other hand, is wanted by Celtic, but even the champions of the last Scottish Premier League failed to reach the right figures to reach an agreement. A raise will be necessary to see them leave." A report in the Daily Record also claims that Celtic remain interested in Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha, with a possible return to the Japanese market also mooted following the summer arrivals of Shin Yamada and Hayato Inamura. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Adam Obert of Cagliari is a reported transfer target for Celtic. (Photo by) | Getty Images Hibs target Zambian midfielder Hibs are reportedly attempting to sign BSC Young Boys midfielder Miguel Chaiwa. The 21-year-old midfielder, who can also deputise in defence, has 11 caps for the Zambia national team. He has played in the Champions League with the Swiss club, featuring as a substitute against Celtic last season, but looks set to leave after being left out of the matchday squads for his club's opening two league fixtures. According to Hibs Observer, Hibs have entered negotiations with Young Boys over a move for Chaiwa, with French side Montpellier also credited with an interest. Hearts finally land Kabore Derek McInnes is confident Pierre Landry Kabore can build on his prolific stint in Estonia after the Burkina Faso forward was finally able to complete his transfer to Hearts on a three-year contract. The 24-year-old arrived in Edinburgh last month after the Jambos agreed a deal to sign him for an undisclosed fee, but he had to endure a longer wait than envisaged to get his work permit and was unable to feature in Monday's William Hill Premiership opener against Aberdeen. Hearts announced on Wednesday that the signing of Kabore, who made his international debut earlier this year, had now been formalised. McInnes was looking forward to being able to utilise a player who accumulated 33 goals and 10 assists in his 51 matches since moving to Estonian top-flight club JK Narva Trans from SOL FC of Ivory Coast at the start of 2024. 'It's obviously taken a bit longer than we'd have liked to get Landry in but he's here now and I'm pleased to get it done,' the manager told Hearts' website. His stats over the past couple of seasons speak for themselves so we're hoping he'll bring something a bit different to what we've currently got in our forward areas. He's a big, mobile guy and very adaptable in that he can play across the front, so that versatility is a big plus. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Club Brugge copy Rangers blueprint as they take huge step to facing Ibrox side in Champions League play-offs
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CLUB BRUGGE must have been watching Rangers in action before they took to the field for their own Champions League qualifier this evening. The Belgian side rode their luck and had goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to thank before a goal midway through the second half gave them a huge advantage going into the second leg. Sign up for the Rangers newsletter Sign up 1 Romeo Vermant of Club Brugge celebrates his crucial goal Credit: Getty Remind you of anything? ...Sounds a lot like when Rangers faced Panathinaikos at Ibrox in the second qualifying round. The Light Blues withstood some heavy pressure from the Greeks and had to call upon the best of Jack Butland to keep them in the match. But then up stepped Findlay Curtis and Djeidi Gassama in the second half to give them a 2-0 lead that ultimately proved pivotal in their quest to reach the third qualifying round. Russell Martin's Gers swept Viktoria Plzen aside by three goals to nil last night and have one foot in the play-off round already. They have been drawn to face either Brugge or Red Bull Salzburg at that stage and after tonight's game between those sides, it's the Belgian giants who are in pole position. Brugge, runners-up in last season's Belgian Pro League, won 1-0 in Salzburg thanks to a 74th minute strike from Romeo Vermant. The striker nipped in front of his marker to steer home a teasing cross from Bjorn Meijer and with the return leg back at their home ground, they will fancy their chances of progression. Former Sunderland keeper Mignolet made some fine stops early on but his highlight moment came in the 82nd minute when he made a superb double-save to deny Petar Ratkov and then Dorgeles Nene. If Gers finish the job against Plzen, they will be at home in the first leg of the play-off, which is scheduled for August 19. Rangers boss Russell Martin's big Tavernier and Raskin calls vs Plzen as he opens up on John Souttar contract Brugge edged the possession stats and played more passes but it was Salzburg who created more chances, with 20 shots in total. Earlier on, Chelsea-bound wonderkid Dastan Satpayev smashed in a nerveless 90th minute penalty against Slovan Bratislava to leave Celtic staring at a gruelling visit to take on Kairat Almaty in the play-offs. Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
