In numbers: Why Hearts made Kabangu's stay permanent
Following a promising second half of the season, Hearts have decided to make Elton Kabangu's loan stay from Union Saint-Gilloise a permanent one.The Belgian striker was one of the first new faces in the Tynecastle club's data-driven Jamestown Analytics era, finishing the season as second top scorer with eight goals in all competitions.That is pretty good going given the forward only signed in January and played just 18 games, but what makes his goals tally more impressive is the fact none of them came from the penalty spot.When you compare that to forwards who have played at least 10 Scottish Premiership games this season, Kabangu's non-penalty-goals average of 0.54 per 90 ranks him in the league's top 10.Meanwhile, the striker sits ninth for his expected goals tally of 0.5 per 90, and his shot (21%) and big chance (56%) conversion rates also place him high in the Premiership forward rankings.When you narrow that search down to just Hearts players on a per-90 basis, Kabangu sits top for goals, expected goals and shots on target.A goals-per-90 average of 0.54 over a 38-game season would accumulate a very healthy return of 19, so now the challenge for the 27-year-old is maintaining that form over the course of an entire campaign under new boss Derek McInnes.
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