*** Hearts Summer Transfer Window 2022 - Snodgrass signs ***

[Ricardo Quaresma]

I think Boyce was just a bit knackered last season, playing with knocks and it got to him a bit

 

Don't think it will happen again next season, hopefully not

[JamboAl]

4 minutes ago, Ricardo Quaresma said:

I think Boyce was just a bit knackered last season, playing with knocks and it got to him a bit

 

Don't think it will happen again next season, hopefully not

I was a bit knackered watching him.

[FarmerTweedy]

8 hours ago, Mr Elwood P said:

Intentionally avoiding answering a question gets the post count up too!

 

Talking Heads have a good track about this topic....

Life During Wartime?

[RobNox]

52 minutes ago, weegie jambo said:

Bottom line is we need strikers. Boyce seems to have moved to more of a No 10 and works well with a Simms type striker. Shankland seems to be more of a penalty box player/poacher. We're going to need a couple of different types of forward to compete on all fronts and to give us a plan B & C. Bringing Shankland in I feel will compliment Boyce not replace him and if we can get Simms back in or someone of his ilk that would give us some variety up front. Still like to see if Henderson can step up in some pre season friendlies.

I agree.  Some people seem to be seeing Shankland as a replacement for Simms, but I see it the same way as you do.  Shankland would give us a different option, which we could do with, but we also need someone to play the Simms role.  Whether that's Simms or not remains to be seen, but Simms is the blueprint.

 

Henderson will get his chance in pre-season, I'm not suggesting him as an alternative to Simms, just as another potential attacking option.  I'd like to see him force his way into the first team squad, as it's always good to see players come through the ranks.  It's now up to him to deliver as he's probably close to last chance saloon.  If we end up punting him back out on loan then I can't see us extending his contract again.

[Geoff Kilpatrick]

This thread is living proof that "megathreads" are bollocks.

 

It has now become the case that the club is better for actual news than Kickback. For years that wasn't the case.

[Unknown user]

5 hours ago, MattyK82 said:

Not sure how reliable the 4th official is but this is the most recent take ⬆️

No idea but he's touting Balogun and Woodburn as permanent moves too.

Edited June 18, 2022 by Smithee

[Ricardo Quaresma]

1 hour ago, JamboAl said:

I was a bit knackered watching him.

 

There was a few loud shouts that the neighbours heard, that's for sure

 

And people at work

[Tasavallan]

I cannot say that Grant's stats impress.  Peterborough were relegated and tactics appear to be that he is first subbed player at 60 min.  Another Ginnelly sort.

[Watt-Zeefuik]

7 hours ago, HMFC01 said:

I get a feeling Simms will go on loan again.   Everton linked with several strikers/forwards.   Whether it's us he joins I don't know.    It's all about the movement of players.   One in, one out.   They are definitely selling Richarlison.

 

I have to believe that if he's going out on loan again, we're in a good position to get him back. He did well and got better with us, and will get European football experience.

[Batistuta87]

3 hours ago, Smithee said:

No idea but he's touting Balogun and Woodburn as permanent moves too.

If Simms on a permanent deal is pie in the sky then Balogun is big Desperate Dan style Cow Pie in the sky. 

 

Edited June 19, 2022 by Batistuta87

[karipidis]

2 hours ago, Batistuta87 said:

If Simms on a permanent deal is pie in the sky then Balogun is big Desperate Dan style Cow Pie in the sky. 

 

Hmm 34 year old, 3rd/4th choice Rangers centre back now on a free. If he’s settled in Scotland we’d be his best option. Not completely unrealistic to me.

[CMc]

Presumably could not accommodate both Balugun and Wright. 

[the general]

6 hours ago, Tasavallan said:

I cannot say that Grant's stats impress.  Peterborough were relegated and tactics appear to be that he is first subbed player at 60 min.  Another Ginnelly sort.

 

Will be really interesting if he does sign. Doesn't really fit in with our stated transfer target types

[DC_92]

3 hours ago, Batistuta87 said:

If Simms on a permanent deal is pie in the sky then Balogun is big Desperate Dan style Cow Pie in the sky. 

 

 

Far less unrealistic than Billy Gilmour tbf!

 

Anyway, I think Smithee is getting his wires crossed about a post entitled "Balogun + Woodburn Could Join Hearts on a Permanent Deal". The post is probably about 2 separate stories, Balogun's release by Rangers (announced the day of the post) and the reports at the time that we wanted Woodburn back. I think that's why "deal" is singular and a plus is used instead of "and", confusing as it is.

 

I'd also echo that this guy is a snake oil salesman and I certainly wouldn't be paying money to read his "exclusives".

[kingantti1874]

Where did the Leon Balogun rumour come from and is there any substance.

 

i was going to throw his name in the mix a few weeks back but couldn’t be arsed with the hassle! I think he’d be a belter of a signing.  He was excellent in the cup final, brings huge experience.  He could be a modern day “Stefanie Mahe” type of signing I think. 

[Gordon Ramsay]

Really think we could do better than Shankland. 

[innerjambo]

11 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

Where did the Leon Balogun rumour come from and is there any substance.

 

i was going to throw his name in the mix a few weeks back but couldn’t be arsed with the hassle! I think he’d be a belter of a signing.  He was excellent in the cup final, brings huge experience.  He could be a modern day “Stefanie Mahe” type of signing I think. 

 

From the 4th official it seems. Probably a load of bollocks tbf

[DC_92]

https://forums.vitalfootball.co.uk/threads/player-of-the-season.115338/

 

Some chat on Grant in here. It's fair to say Lincoln fans rate him very highly. They got to the play-off final that season but lost to Simms' Blackpool.

 

Still doesn't do it for me though. Paying a 6-figure fee and probably giving a 3 year deal to a 27 year old who just couldn't cut it at Peterborough just doesn't seem like the sort of business we do these days. 

[kingantti1874]

8 minutes ago, innerjambo said:

 

From the 4th official it seems. Probably a load of bollocks tbf

Ah.. most likely shite then.  Still a signing I’d like to see

[bazman]

Be interesting to see if Joe Wright turns up at pre season testing on Tuesday or not

[Sertse]

Got a feeling we'll see something most likely tomorrow due to the training camp. I'd imagine we'd be pushing to get our targets before they set off abroad.

[Absolute Scenes]

11 minutes ago, DC_92 said:

https://forums.vitalfootball.co.uk/threads/player-of-the-season.115338/

 

Some chat on Grant in here. It's fair to say Lincoln fans rate him very highly. They got to the play-off final that season but lost to Simms' Blackpool.

 

Still doesn't do it for me though. Paying a 6-figure fee and probably giving a 3 year deal to a 27 year old who just couldn't cut it at Peterborough just doesn't seem like the sort of business we do these days. 

so we don’t look at players who “don’t cut it” at other teams? Look at Beni’s game time before joining hearts. He couldn’t cut it at Wigan if you’re basing it on stats. We don’t know if he’ll cut it but he’ll need this full support ready to wish him well here. 

For a team with our budget, who would you expect instead and what fees are we realistically going to pay for players?

 

[Absolute Scenes]

1 minute ago, Sertse said:

Got a feeling we'll see something most likely tomorrow due to the training camp. I'd imagine we'd be pushing to get our targets before they set off abroad.

👀 do tell

[jamboinglasgow]

1 minute ago, Sertse said:

Got a feeling we'll see something most likely tomorrow due to the training camp. I'd imagine we'd be pushing to get our targets before they set off abroad.

 

I agree, wouldn't even surprise me if we announce a player who has not been talked about here yet.

 

Also think because of the closeness to pre-season training, the club will announce tomorrow which academy players have pro-contracts as you would imagine they will be training as well.

[Spookie]

17 minutes ago, bazman said:

Be interesting to see if Joe Wright turns up at pre season testing on Tuesday or not

I'd forgotten about him. If it wasn't for his injury he'd already be a Hearts player already. Opting to bring Taylor Moore in on loan instead 

[innerjambo]

32 minutes ago, Gordon Ramsay said:

Really think we could do better than Shankland. 

 

I agree with this. You hear all the talk from Robbie and Savage about bringing in quality, and moving up a level. Then you hear the name Shankland, and I'm like scratching my head thinking, really??

[Dick Dastardly]

28 minutes ago, DC_92 said:

https://forums.vitalfootball.co.uk/threads/player-of-the-season.115338/

 

Some chat on Grant in here. It's fair to say Lincoln fans rate him very highly. They got to the play-off final that season but lost to Simms' Blackpool.

 

Still doesn't do it for me though. Paying a 6-figure fee and probably giving a 3 year deal to a 27 year old who just couldn't cut it at Peterborough just doesn't seem like the sort of business we do these days. 

It does seem a bit of a strange signing, if it is actually true. We can only hope that Savage and the team have spotted something about him that will make him a fit in our style of play. 

[Batistuta87]

2 hours ago, karipidis said:

Hmm 34 year old, 3rd/4th choice Rangers centre back now on a free. If he’s settled in Scotland we’d be his best option. Not completely unrealistic to me.

 

50 minutes ago, DC_92 said:

 

Far less unrealistic than Billy Gilmour tbf!

 

Anyway, I think Smithee is getting his wires crossed about a post entitled "Balogun + Woodburn Could Join Hearts on a Permanent Deal". The post is probably about 2 separate stories, Balogun's release by Rangers (announced the day of the post) and the reports at the time that we wanted Woodburn back. I think that's why "deal" is singular and a plus is used instead of "and", confusing as it is.

 

I'd also echo that this guy is a snake oil salesman and I certainly wouldn't be paying money to read his "exclusives".

 

I couldn't find the article and thought it was Florian Balogun from Arsenal lol. Didn't think about Rangers' Balogun which yes would be far more realistic. 

 

FWIW, don't think Gilmour would be hugely unrealistic given the season he's just had at Norwich. He's probably not going to be playing in the EPL next season so in taking a step down that could put him right on the very border of our radar. More likely to go to a Rangers or a continental side of which I'm sure there will be plenty interested. But aye, if he specifically wants to come up the road on loan we would be 2nd in line behind Rangers. 

 

[kingantti1874]

3 minutes ago, Batistuta87 said:

 

 

I couldn't find the article and thought it was Florian Balogun from Arsenal lol. Didn't think about Rangers' Balogun which yes would be far more realistic. 

 

FWIW, don't think Gilmour would be hugely unrealistic given the season he's just had at Norwich. He's probably not going to be playing in the EPL next season so in taking a step down that could put him right on the very border of our radar. More likely to go to a Rangers or a continental side of which I'm sure there will be plenty interested. But aye, if he specifically wants to come up the road on loan we would be 2nd in line behind Rangers. 

 

Gilmour is an unbelievable talent.  He made a bad move to a struggling side but will absolutely end up at a top side. Don’t get me wrong I would love to see it but the minimum level he drops too is hun level

[jamboinglasgow]

2 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

Gilmour is an unbelievable talent.  He made a bad move to a struggling side but will absolutely end up at a top side. Don’t get me wrong I would love to see it but the minimum level he drops too is hun level

 

Yup, plus there is a lot of talk about Everton being after him on loan, Lampard was the coach who brought him into the first team of Chelsea. I think Chelsea will look to give him a better Premier league loan this season.

[Batistuta87]

45 minutes ago, DC_92 said:

https://forums.vitalfootball.co.uk/threads/player-of-the-season.115338/

 

Some chat on Grant in here. It's fair to say Lincoln fans rate him very highly. They got to the play-off final that season but lost to Simms' Blackpool.

 

Still doesn't do it for me though. Paying a 6-figure fee and probably giving a 3 year deal to a 27 year old who just couldn't cut it at Peterborough just doesn't seem like the sort of business we do these days. 

 

Totally agree. It's such a random signing - 27yo on Peterborough's transfer list. Reminds me of when we signed Olly Lee. Was such a random find from down south and quite unimpressive on paper. 

 

And not that I believe we are but if we're spending 750k we must be absolutely mental. That money could probably buy Dylan Levitt or Connor Ronan (500k) AND someone like Callum Slattery from Motherwell (McEneff + 200k?)... 

 

[Batistuta87]

12 minutes ago, kingantti1874 said:

Gilmour is an unbelievable talent.  He made a bad move to a struggling side but will absolutely end up at a top side. Don’t get me wrong I would love to see it but the minimum level he drops too is hun level

I sort of agree. He's clearly got a lot of talent but he was rotten last season and might need to step back. Anyways... Was a massive stab in the dark and completely unfounded lol. Sounded like the player mentioned was Scottish and couldn't find anyone who seemed useful.

 

Edited June 19, 2022 by Batistuta87

[Tommy Brown]

What am I missing with Jorge Grant?

1 goal, 2 assists in 29 games last season.

 

Figures from BBC.

[Batistuta87]

4 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said:

What am I missing with Jorge Grant?

1 goal, 2 assists in 29 games last season.

 

Figures from BBC.

Exactly what we're all seeing. Strange one. 

[gregzy2k7]

2 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said:

What am I missing with Jorge Grant?

1 goal, 2 assists in 29 games last season.

 

Figures from BBC.

He Doesny look great tbh, guy hasn't done anything above league 1 level in England, which is a fairly shite standard imo, hoping this is just paper talk.

[Phil D. Corners]

7 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said:

What am I missing with Jorge Grant?

1 goal, 2 assists in 29 games last season.

 

Figures from BBC.

Not seeing it myself, but I assume there is some money ball KPI stats that make him look good. 

[karipidis]

Peterborough chairman said on Twitter is wasn’t a ‘goer’ a few days ago. I think he’d only be signing as 3rd/4th choice so spending the money quoted does seem strange. Trust Savage to make the right call though. 

[CMc]

2 minutes ago, Phil D. Corners said:

Not seeing it myself, but I assume there is some money ball KPI stats that make him look good. 

Yeah, if true, it’s got to be this. 
 

Perhaps he’s done hundreds of key passes that don’t register as assists because the striker had a nightmare season/kept getting fouled for pens, etc. or his XG is way beyond his actual goal return and they think they know why. Or he runs 20 miles a game. Etc. 

 

Goals and assists are a pretty blunt metric for overall contribution to a side. 
 

Savage has seemed pretty good at either picking up someone under the radar based on data - or figuring out when folk are better than their data picture shows. 
 

Guess we will find out if he signs. 

[jamboinglasgow]

21 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said:

What am I missing with Jorge Grant?

1 goal, 2 assists in 29 games last season.

 

Figures from BBC.

 

It will be his form the previous season at Lincoln rather than form at Peterborough (so a player who has great ability when used correctly, something that could be argued he wasn't used properly at Peterborough.)

[Pans Jambo]

Not been on here for a couple of days. We are spending £750k for a Peterborough player (really) & Billy Gilmour? 
Seriously???

Stop sniffing drugs lads!!!!

[JamboAl]

1 hour ago, innerjambo said:

 

From the 4th official it seems. Probably a load of bollocks tbf

Whether it's bollocks or not Balogun could be an astute signing if he was willing to accept a one year contract with maybe a further year's option.

At 34 he still seemed more than competent in the cup final and with him in the squad we could ease young Neilson in gradually either as a central pairing in a back four or as RCB in a back three.

[CMc]

His Lincoln stats are very good, TBF. 
 

13 goals, 9 assists in 38 games. 2 key passes and 2 shots per game. Won two fouls per game. Recovered possession 3 times per game. 50 passes per game at approx 80% accuracy, including approx 2 crosses and 5 long passes. Think he took their set pieces. 
 

Clearly was the core of their team. Joe and the team must think there was a reason other than a step up in quality of opposition that this form wasn’t replicated for peterburgh. 
 

Or is a bluff for the Ronan negotiation. 
 

 

[DC_92]

20 minutes ago, Absolute Scenes said:

so we don’t look at players who “don’t cut it” at other teams? Look at Beni’s game time before joining hearts. He couldn’t cut it at Wigan if you’re basing it on stats. We don’t know if he’ll cut it but he’ll need this full support ready to wish him well here. 

For a team with our budget, who would you expect instead and what fees are we realistically going to pay for players?

 

 

Baningime was 20 when he was at Wigan and was rated enough to play first team matches for Everton at one point. He was a young player with potential, not a 27 year old journeyman who's had one notable season at a reasonable level. He was also free.

 

If you're looking at players in a similar price range to Grant then there's Connor Ronan who's 24 and has performed in our league. Dylan Levitt is 21 and has been similarly impressive (although I suspect he's off to the Championship). There's potential for improvement with these guys and for a return on your investment if they do particularly well. That isn't the case with Grant.

 

Of course, we won't only sign players with a view to developing them and selling them on, sometimes we'll want an established player to come and become a mainstay. However, if we're paying relatively big money for a 27 year old then it has to be someone who will play every week and who we're very confident is going to perform. I'd be looking for more than one good season for Lincoln on the CV in that instance.

 

Also, as a big money signing who'll start most weeks, what role does he fit in the team? In a 3-4-3, maybe you have him and McKay wide of the main striker. But neither he nor McKay are goalscorers (excluding penalties) so that seems a bit powderpuff. Maybe you rotate him with McKay but it seems odd to allocate a lot of money there when a goal threat from attacking midfield is probably more of a priority. Apparently he's better as the most advanced player in a midfield 3 than he is out wide, but that's not a system we've used too often recently.

 

Maybe he'll come here and be brilliant, it's certainly possible, and on a free I'd be absolutely fine with it, butI've seen too many League One players and Championship rejects flop here to think this is a banker of a signing that we should be paying money for.

 

If we do sign him, I'm sure we'll have done our due diligence. I don't think we will, though.

[bazman]

35 minutes ago, Tommy Brown said:

What am I missing with Jorge Grant?

1 goal, 2 assists in 29 games last season.

 

Figures from BBC.

Barrie McKay was hardly setting the heather alight before coming. Can't always look at the stats. Peterborough struggled as a whole last year means nothing 

[JimmyCant]

13 minutes ago, Pans Jambo said:

Not been on here for a couple of days. We are spending £750k for a Peterborough player (really) & Billy Gilmour? 
Seriously???

Stop sniffing drugs lads!!!!

I think most posts on those two players specifically say we shouldn’t spend that amount of  money on the P/Boro player and we’ve no chance of Gilmour 

[Ainsley Harriott]

1 hour ago, Tommy Brown said:

What am I missing with Jorge Grant?

1 goal, 2 assists in 29 games last season.

 

Figures from BBC.

Sounds more like it was Jorge missing rather than yourself.

[feej]

Maybe Peterborough's style of play didn't suit him and they think ours would. Got to trust them, they've done pretty well so far

[Holyrood_Hearts]

47 minutes ago, bazman said:

Barrie McKay was hardly setting the heather alight before coming. Can't always look at the stats. Peterborough struggled as a whole last year means nothing 

Spot on!! 

[CMc]

10 minutes ago, feej said:

Maybe Peterborough's style of play didn't suit him and they think ours would. Got to trust them, they've done pretty well so far

Looks like he played half as many minutes for Peterborough as Lincoln. So I’m guessing injuries had something to do with it. Also split time between four positions (CM, AM, RM, RW) which suggests not a natural fit for their system - or they were chopping and changing loads. Looks like he did better in central roles than wide roles. 

[Cheile]

 

If we are going for Shankland I wonder if Hearts might be offering a player/players swap as part of a deal. Ginelly or McAneff maybe?