Latest news with #EltonKabangu
Scotsman
a day ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts transfer latest as striker turns a top target and Daniel Arzani objective emerges
Here are some of your latest Hearts transfer headlines over what the Jambos could look to do this summer. 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... Hearts have been busy in the summer transfer window so far and they look set to continue shopping. Backed by Jamestown Analytics, new head coach Derek McInnes has added Oisin McEntee to his squad as the latest recruit. He comes after the arrival of Alexandros Kyziridis, Elton Kabangu's loan being made permanent and Christian Borchgrevink, but he is not set to be the last. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Wingers are on the agenda with Daniel Arzani wanted after form at Melbourne Victory, and Islam Chesnokov could possibly be on his way to Tynecastle too. Here are some of the latest headlines when it comes to Hearts transfer news. Striker turns a top Hearts transfer target Portuguese forward Claudio Braga is wanted by Hearts this summer, the Evening News understands. Forward options are an area in which the club want to strengthen and it's understood that the forward currently with Aalesund in the Norwegian second tier is a top target. Last season, he had nine goals and seven assists in 29 league games and nine games into this campaign in Scandinavia, Braga has four goal contributions, scoring three and grabbing an assist. He joined Aaelsund from another side in Norway, Moss, where he struck double figures in consecutive seasons. Braga has been on the Hearts radar for a period of time and could be added to McInnes' front options if all parties can come to an agreement. Hearts have Elton Kabangu and James Wilson who can play through the middle as well as Kenneth Vargas and Musa Drammeh in forward areas. Lawrence Shankland is out of contract and his future remains unresolved. Daniel Arzani to Hearts latest The former Celtic and Man City talent said over the weekend it was important for him to play week in, week out, at his next club. After finding his form in the A League after injury, Arzani has discussed how he's defeated self doubt to get back to good form, as the World Cup remains in his mind. He's with Australia for their final FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against Saudi Arabia and if the Socceroos avoid defeat by five goals or more, they will qualify for the tournament. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Arzani said: 'There's always been a little bit of self-doubt there, especially after the way things unfolded the last few years. But look, that's in the past. Football is a game that changes very quickly, up and down, positive, negative. I'm happy to be in the situation that I'm in now. It hasn't come by easily, nor by coincidence. I've worked really hard to be here, and it's been a slow process. I kept chipping away at it. I'm happy with where I'm at now. There's definitely moments of self-doubt, but I feel like now I've got a good base to really show what I can do and to hopefully go even further. 'It's an incredible feeling for me (possibly in a second World Cup_. It's actually a little bit more special, because for the first time, I'm involved in the qualification process as well – before, I wasn't. Being around such a good group of lads and really feeling that connection and everyone working towards one common goal is always a special feeling. You see the stuff that happens behind the scenes, the stresses and the pressures and everything involved with qualifying for a World Cup. It's such a massive deal, and it's something that I've never experienced before, personally. So it's been a real eye-opener, and one that I'm really enjoying.'
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts transfers and what new signings will offer: Bum-baring, rampaging and goalscoring
Signings will continue through the summer window ahead of SPFL season 2025/26 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... New recruits reporting to Riccarton later this month can generally be described as 'unknown quantities'. Elton Kabangu apart, most Hearts fans will know little about their club's latest signings. Four deals are complete and there will be several more to come as new head coach Derek McInnes reshapes an underperforming first-team squad. Internet searches provide a brief impression of players and there has been plenty reason for Hearts supporters to scour Youtube lately. The Edinburgh News has compiled its own dossier on the men who have committed their futures to the west side of Edinburgh. We also assessed another two of the players Hearts officials are aiming to lure to Scotland this summer: Christian Borchgrevink Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The 26-year-old Valerenga captain left his former club in good spirits after baring his backside not once but three times to supporters at the end of his final appearance. His character is certain to bring colour to the Riccarton dressing room, but also leadership. A lifelong Valerenga fan, he joined the club aged nine and helped them return to Norway's Eliteserien in 2024 by scoring the decisive goal to confirm promotion. He is an attack-minded full-back, quick and comfortable on the ball, with crossing among his best attributes. He is also comfortable stepping into midfield during attacks. Borchgrevink spent more than four months of last season sidelined with a knee injury but returned in time to play before Valerenga's season ended. He may take time to reach peak fitness once he arrives at Hearts, but nothing a good pre-season shouldn't remedy. He is firmly expected to make the right-back position his own at Tynecastle next season after signing a three-year contract. Alexandros Kyziridis A Greek winger plucked from the relative obscurity of Slovakia's top flight, the Niké Liga, Kyziridis offers pace, goals and assists. The 24-year-old recorded an impressive 16 goals and eight assists from 30 appearances for Slovakian side Zemplín Michalovce last season. He is now destined for Hearts after agreeing a three-year deal. He is two-footed but tends to favour his right slightly more and is fond of a rampage in behind opposing defences. He lines up on the left flank as an inverted winger who tends to drift inside frequently. He also positions himself centrally when crosses arrive from the opposite side and displays a striker's instinct in and around the penalty area. The challenge for Kyziridis will be the unforgiving nature of Scottish football and the little time he will get in possession. If he can cope with the physicality, he definitely has the talent to succeed. Elton Kabangu Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The one familiar face to sign so far. Kabangu's loan from Union Saint-Gilloise was converted into a permanent transfer for a fee in the region of £250,000. He also signed for three years. He scored eight goals in the first 11 games of his loan spell but faded thereafter. A left-footed striker with good movement and the ability to score various kinds of goals, the Belgian tends to do his best work inside the penalty box. Many fans are keen to see him line up in a 4-4-2 system and McInnes has hinted that he will use that formation, certainly at Tynecastle, next term. Kabangu is hungry to prove himself and admitted publicly that he wants to do better than he did towards the end of last season. Oisin McEntee The giant New York-born Irishman has been brought in to add presence to Hearts' midfield, but that is not all he will offer. Signed from Walsall in England's League Two, he is another who carries mental strength and character. Played in defence a number of times for Walsall but is being signed as a central midfielder under McInnes. McEntee stands 6ft 3ins tall and is understandably good in the air. He is also technically very capable with the ball at his feet and his range of passing is varied. He can break wide to deliver crosses and carries an obvious threat from set-pieces. He is more than simply a midfield anchorman and will generally look to pass forward to initiate attacks. Signed a three-year contract and could play a big role next season. Islam Chesnokov Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The long-running saga of the Kazakhstan internationalist's move to Edinburgh is still ongoing. Hearts want a deal with his club, Tobol Kostanay, to sign him this summer and are hoping for a conclusion soon. If successful, they will be recruiting another inverted winger who also likes a rampage past defenders, but this time a right-sided one. Chesnokov, 25, is left-footed but operates off the right flank. His playing style carries some similarities to Kyziridis in that he often roams inside onto his stronger foot. He has four goals and two assists from 16 appearances in the Kazakhstan Premier League and has also played 13 times for his national team, scoring twice. The standard of Kazakhstan football allows creative players like Chesnokov time and space which he won't get in Scotland. However, if he can find pockets of space and tee up his left foot, he is capable of unleashing some powerful strikes from distance. Daniel Arzani Hearts have put a contract offer to the Australian internationalist, who featured as a substitute for his country against Japan in Thursday's World Cup qualifier. He is set to leave Melbourne Victory for free with his contract expiring. Age 26, he is young enough to offer sell-on potential but Hearts face competition for his signature from Europe and Asia. Arzani is different to Kyziridis and Chesnokov in that he is more of a touchline winger - the type who like white paint on their boots from stretching the play so much. Dribbling and pace are among his best skills and he delivers a mean cross whether playing on the left or right side. He is right-footed so tends to favour that position. Can be guilty of overplaying and questionable decision-making with the ball, sometimes trying to beat one man too many. However, he possesses natural talent which could see him make more of an impact if he returns to Scotland after a previous injury-interrupted loan at Celtic. READ MORE: Penrice and Shankland Hearts futures as English clubs circle
Edinburgh Reporter
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Kabangu signs and Hearts face Dunfermline
Elton Kabangu has penned a three-year deal with Heart of Midlothian FC, turning his loan from Belgian side, Royal Union Saint-Gilloise into a permanent move for an undisclosed fee. The 27-year-old joined the Tynecastle team in January and subsequently claimed eight goals in 18 appearances, finishing the campaign as the club's second-top goalscorer, one behind skipper Lawrence Shankland. Derek McInnes, the new head coach, said he had a good talk with Kabangu and he added: 'We're both excited about what the future holds.' McInnes feels Kabangu is a handful for opposition defences and he's confident that Hearts will receive more from the player next term. Kabangu said: 'I am just getting started and there are some big things to come for Hearts.' Meanwhile, Hearts will face Dunfermline Athletic, Hamilton Academical, Dumbarton and Stirling Albion in Group E of the Scottish League Cup. Of course, Dunfermline are managed by Neil Lennon (pictured), a former Hibs and Celtic boss. Livingston are in Group H alongside Kilmarnock, Kelty Hearts, East Fife and Brora Rangers. Matches start on July 12/13 with more fixtures on July 15/16, 19/20, 22/23 and 26/27. The team finishing top of the section as well as the best three runners-up move forward to the last 16 which is scheduled for August 16/17 when the teams competing for Europe – Celtic, Rangers, Hibs and Dundee United and Aberdeen – will enter the event. The quarter-finals are on September 20/21, the semi-finals on November 1/2 and the final at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Sunday, December 14. Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
'Absolute handful': Hearts express delight as striker signs
Kabangu makes his loan move to Tynecastle a permanent arrangement 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... New Hearts manager Derek McInnes expects Elton Kabangu to step things up a notch next season after the Belgian forward joined the Tynecastle club on a three-year contract. The 27-year-old spent the second half of the campaign on loan with the Jambos from Union Saint-Gilloise and after scoring eight goals in 18 appearances under previous boss Neil Critchley, including seven in his first seven games, Kabangu has now completed a permanent move to Edinburgh. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I'm pleased that Elton is going to be part of this Hearts team next season and beyond,' McInnes, who was appointed manager last week, told Hearts' website. 'I had a great conversation with him last week about how I see his role in the team and what I think he can achieve here at Hearts. We're both excited about what the future holds and I'm really looking forward to working with him. Elton Kabangu has made his move to Hearts permanent. | SNS Group 'I think everyone saw the impact he had when he joined the club in January. He's an absolute handful for opposing defences and to score eight goals in a new country is a good return. 'Now Elton has had time to get used to the club, his teammates and the Scottish game, I'm confident that we'll see even more from him this coming season.' Kabangu became one of the first signings to be unearthed by Hearts following the formalising of their partnership with Jamestown Analytics last November when he arrived on loan in early January. The forward admitted in a recent interview his form tailed off towards the end of his loan stint, but he is confident he can get back on track under McInnes. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I am very happy to continue my career at Hearts and to be able to call Tynecastle my new home,' said Kabangu. 'The people at the club and the supporters have been very nice to me. They give me love, passion and trust. I have had some good moments, but I definitely want more of them. Elton Kabangu scored eight goals during his loan spell. | SNS Group 'I am just getting started and there are some big things coming for Hearts, and I am very happy to be part of this new project. I am already looking forward to coming back and working with the new head coach, and taking this club forward to success.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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.
