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Edinburgh Reporter
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
‘Life-changing' move as Penrice joins AEK Athens
James Penrice is now a player with AEK Athens after Hearts agreed an undisclosed fee with the Greek Super League club. The 26-year-old joined the Jambos on a free transfer in June 2024 and made 46 appearances, scoring two goals. He was the club's Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year last season and earned a slot in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. A statement from the club said Penrice made a huge impact at Tynecastle and described the move as 'life-changing'. The club thanked the Livingston-born player for his services and wished him luck in Athens. PENRICE GONE: James Penrice taking part in one of his last training sessions with the Jambos at Riccarton. Picture Nigel Duncan Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts confirm 'life-changing' transfer for seven-figure fee
Defender's move to Super League outfit completed 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... Hearts have confirmed that defender James Penrice has completed his transfer to Greek Super League side AEK Athens. Penrice left Hearts' pre-season training camp in Spain on Friday morning to finalise his move to AEK after all parties agreed terms. While the Tynecastle side have not disclosed the fee, The Scotsman understands that the Greeks have spent in the region of £2 million to land the 26-year-old left-back. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Penrice joined Hearts last summer on a free transfer from Livingston and was one of their most impressive players last term. His exit brings in a sizeable profit for the club. With Harry Milne and Stephen Kingsley the remaining options at left-back, head coach Derek McInnes is expected to strengthen that department of the team. James Penrice is set to leave Hearts for AEK Athens. | SNS Group A statement on the Hearts website read: 'Heart of Midlothian can confirm we have reached an agreement with AEK Athens for the transfer of James Penrice. The 26-year-old will join the Greek Super League side for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance and Scottish FA approval. 'James joined the Jambos on a free in June 2024 and would go on to make 46 appearances in maroon, scoring twice. His performances earned him the Players' Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year awards at the club's POTYA, as well as a spot in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. 'Having made a huge impact at Tynecastle Park, James will now continue his career with a life-changing move to Greece, and everybody at Hearts thanks him for his time in Gorgie and wishes him the very best of luck in Athens.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts could not stand in way Speaking on Friday night, McInnes explained that the opportunity for Penrice to join AEK was difficult to stand in the way of. 'We'd heard about the interest from AEK Athens (on Thursday), I spoke to James about it and at that stage, it was still a long way off in terms of the valuation,' McInnes said in a club interview. 'But later (on Thursday night), we believed that AEK Athens had met the valuation for the club, which is brilliant money back and a great opportunity for James. 'I'm just in the door and in an ideal world I want to work with him. I've wanted to work with him for a while. But sometimes you've got to be fair and you've got to be understanding of the situation. 'We took a boy for nothing. There's been a lot of people who have done well with his development. Naisy (former manager Steven Naismith) was the one that brought him to the club and he deserves a lot of credit for that. But I think the boy who deserves the most credit is James. He was outstanding in a tough season last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And from the outside looking in, before I became the Hearts manager, I always thought the boy could go again. It's a fantastic opportunity for him. I think he was a bit shocked (when he found out the deal was on).
Scotsman
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
James Penrice's £2m transfer from Hearts to AEK Athens goes through with a sell-on clause
Defender leaves Scotland for Greece 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... James Penrice has left Hearts to join AEK Athens in a £2m transfer after paperwork for the move was completed. The defender departed the Edinburgh club's training camp in Spain early on Friday morning and underwent a medical in the Greek capital before signing a long-term contract. Hearts earn a fee of just over £2m for Penrice one year after signing him from Livingston for free. They also have a sell-on agreement in the deal with AEK to ensure a portion of any future transfer will be forwarded on to Tynecastle Park. Head coach Derek McInnes admitted the deal was one Hearts could not refuse. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Brilliant money back, great opportunity for James,' he told the club's TV channel. 'In an ideal world, just in the door, I want to work with him. I've wanted to work with him for a while but sometimes you have got to be fair and understanding of the situation. We took the boy for nothing. There are a lot of people who have done well with his development. 'Naisy [Steven Naismith] was the one that brought him to the club, he deserves a lot of credit for that. But the boy that deserves the most credit is James, he was outstanding in a tough season last year. I always thought from the outside looking in, before I became the Hearts manager, I thought the boy could go again. It's a fantastic opportunity for him.' In a statement confirming Penrice's departure, Hearts said: 'Heart of Midlothian can confirm we have reached an agreement with AEK Athens for the transfer of James Penrice. The 26-year-old will join the Greek Super League side for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance and Scottish FA approval. 'James joined the Jambos on a free in June 2024 and would go on to make 46 appearances in maroon, scoring twice. His performances earned him the Players' Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year awards at the club's POTYA, as well as a spot in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Having made a huge impact at Tynecastle Park, James will now continue his career with a life-changing move to Greece, and everybody at Hearts thanks him for his time in Gorgie and wishes him the very best of luck in Athens.' Player of the Year leaves Hearts for Greek transfer Penrice won Hearts' Player of the Year award last season after many outstanding displays on the left side of defence. Several clubs in England watched him and Hearts were open to a deal this summer after signing Harry Milne from Partick Thistle in January. Penrice took part in Wednesday night's pre-season friendly against St Mirren in Spain, playing 45 minutes before Milne took over. Milne and Stephen Kingsley will now compete for the left-back slot at Tynecastle for season 2025/26. Kingsley had been carrying a niggling injury but took part in Friday's 3-1 win against Crawley Town at the club's La Finca training base. Milne featured in that game and also played two days previously against St Mirren. Penrice is the first of potentially several exits from Hearts in the weeks ahead. Six new signings have arrived so far, and captain Lawrence Shankland returned to the squad after agreeing a new three-year contract. The first-team squad now totals more than 30 players and will be trimmed before the summer transfer window closes. A number of fringe players are expected to move, either on loan or permanently, to reduce the size of the group. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Tynecastle officials are also close to signing two new wingers in the shape of Burkina Faso's Pierre Landry Kabore and Albania's Sabah Kerjota. Those two could be in Gorgie as early as next week ahead of Saturday's Premier Sports Cup opening tie against Dunfermline. READ MORE: Hearts set for transfer double
Scotsman
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts confirm 'life-changing' transfer for seven-figure fee
Defender's move to Super League outfit completed 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... Hearts have confirmed that defender James Penrice has completed his transfer to Greek Super League side AEK Athens. Penrice left Hearts' pre-season training camp in Spain on Friday morning to finalise his move to AEK after all parties agreed terms. While the Tynecastle side have not disclosed the fee, The Scotsman understands that the Greeks have spent in the region of £2 million to land the 26-year-old left-back. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Penrice joined Hearts last summer on a free transfer from Livingston and was one of their most impressive players last term. His exit brings in a sizeable profit for the club. With Harry Milne and Stephen Kingsley the remaining options at left-back, head coach Derek McInnes is expected to strengthen that department of the team. James Penrice is set to leave Hearts for AEK Athens. | SNS Group A statement on the Hearts website read: 'Heart of Midlothian can confirm we have reached an agreement with AEK Athens for the transfer of James Penrice. The 26-year-old will join the Greek Super League side for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance and Scottish FA approval. 'James joined the Jambos on a free in June 2024 and would go on to make 46 appearances in maroon, scoring twice. His performances earned him the Players' Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year awards at the club's POTYA, as well as a spot in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. 'Having made a huge impact at Tynecastle Park, James will now continue his career with a life-changing move to Greece, and everybody at Hearts thanks him for his time in Gorgie and wishes him the very best of luck in Athens.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts could not stand in way Speaking on Friday night, McInnes explained that the opportunity for Penrice to join AEK was difficult to stand in the way of. 'We'd heard about the interest from AEK Athens (on Thursday), I spoke to James about it and at that stage, it was still a long way off in terms of the valuation,' McInnes said in a club interview. 'But later (on Thursday night), we believed that AEK Athens had met the valuation for the club, which is brilliant money back and a great opportunity for James. 'I'm just in the door and in an ideal world I want to work with him. I've wanted to work with him for a while. But sometimes you've got to be fair and you've got to be understanding of the situation. 'We took a boy for nothing. There's been a lot of people who have done well with his development. Naisy (former manager Steven Naismith) was the one that brought him to the club and he deserves a lot of credit for that. But I think the boy who deserves the most credit is James. He was outstanding in a tough season last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And from the outside looking in, before I became the Hearts manager, I always thought the boy could go again. It's a fantastic opportunity for him. I think he was a bit shocked (when he found out the deal was on).
Scotsman
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
James Penrice's £2m transfer from Hearts to AEK Athens goes through
Defender leaves Edinburgh for Greece 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... James Penrice has left Hearts to join AEK Athens in a £2m transfer after paperwork for the move was completed. The defender departed the Edinburgh club's training camp in Spain early on Friday morning and underwent a medical in the Greek capital before signing a long-term contract. Hearts earn a fee of just over £2m for Penrice one year after signing him from Livingston for free. They also have a sell-on agreement in the deal with AEK to ensure a portion of any future transfer will be forwarded on to Tynecastle Park. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In a statement confirming Penrice's departure, Hearts said: 'Heart of Midlothian can confirm we have reached an agreement with AEK Athens for the transfer of James Penrice. The 26-year-old will join the Greek Super League side for an undisclosed fee, subject to international clearance and Scottish FA approval. 'James joined the Jambos on a free in June 2024 and would go on to make 46 appearances in maroon, scoring twice. His performances earned him the Players' Player of the Year and Fans' Player of the Year awards at the club's POTYA, as well as a spot in the PFA Scotland Team of the Year. 'Having made a huge impact at Tynecastle Park, James will now continue his career with a life-changing move to Greece, and everybody at Hearts thanks him for his time in Gorgie and wishes him the very best of luck in Athens.' Player of the Year leaves Hearts for Greek transfer Penrice won Hearts' Player of the Year award last season after many oustanding displays on the left side of defence. Several clubs in England watched him and Hearts were open to a deal this summer after signing Harry Milne from Partick Thistle in January. Penrice took part in Wednesday night's pre-season friendly against St Mirren in Spain, playing 45 minutes before Milne took over. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Milne and Stephen Kingsley will now compete for the left-back slot at Tynecastle for season 2025/26. Kingsley had been carrying a niggling injury but took part in Friday's 3-1 win against Crawley Town at the club's La Finca training base. Milne featured in that game and also played two days previously against St Mirren. Penrice is the first of potentially several exits from Hearts in the weeks ahead. Six new signings have arrived so far, and captain Lawrence Shankland returned to the squad after agreeing a new three-year contract. The first-team squad now totals more than 30 players and will be trimmed before the summer transfer window closes. A number of fringe players are expected to move, either on loan or permanently, to reduce the size of the group. Tynecastle officials are also close to signing two new wingers in the shape of Burkina Faso's Pierre Landry Kabore and Albania's Sabah Kerjota. Those two could be in Gorgie as early as next week ahead of Saturday's Premier Sports Cup opening tie against Dunfermline. READ MORE: Hearts set for transfer double
