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00:00Hello and welcome to the Edinburgh Evening News' Hearts Digest podcast
00:04with Hearts correspondent Barry Anderson and I'm your host Martin Simpson.
00:08It was a really positive result for the Jambos at the weekend,
00:11it's helped them climb up the table just that little bit more
00:14and also it's been another busy week in the transfer window as expected
00:18so that's where we're going to start.
00:20As always in the January sections of this podcast
00:23with our Hearts Transfer Bulletin,
00:25that is the thing that most fans want to know the situation with.
00:29So Barry, I think we'll start with the latest on Elton Kabangu
00:34who obviously was the first player Hearts were linked with
00:38and the first deal that they were getting over the line
00:41but there's a wee bit of a hold up with that.
00:43Yeah, they're still waiting on his work permit
00:45and they've been trying to get him involved in games,
00:48the last couple of games, Motherwell and Dundee United
00:51but haven't been able to.
00:52People want to know how long these things take,
00:54I would say it's as long as how long is a piece of string.
00:57There's a little bit of a backlog at this time of year
00:59because they have time off over Christmas and New Year
01:01but Hearts will be pushing,
01:03and they were pushing to try and get it done last week,
01:05they'll certainly be pushing this week
01:06because they want them eligible and everything in place,
01:10paperwork all in place for the trip to Aberdeen on Sunday.
01:15It's a case of wait and see, watch this space
01:18and hopefully if we get an indication that it's gone through
01:21then obviously we'll make that out,
01:23we'll put that out as quickly as we can.
01:25There always seems to be a degree of this but it's just,
01:28he's only coming from Belgium,
01:31Hearts have brought in players from Colombia and Costa Rica
01:35in recent seasons and there was a bit of a bread tape there
01:38like you say but I don't feel like it took this long, did it?
01:42And it's odd, I know what you're saying about the festive period
01:46and all that but given that the transfer window opens in January
01:49you would have expected, I guess,
01:52that the Home Office aren't making provisions for football clubs?
01:55Yeah, I think they've obviously got work permit applications
02:00and beers and things to deal with.
02:02It's one of these situations, without getting all political,
02:05it's just one of these situations that's arisen because of Brexit.
02:09Previously you could bring someone in from Belgium
02:11or anywhere else in the EU and you wouldn't have a problem,
02:15they'd just come into the country and that's you but not now.
02:20It's clearly a lot more to it.
02:23And something probably worth reiterating that was spoken
02:26last week's podcast but I saw people asking the question,
02:30asking to yourself on social medias,
02:33but a few Hearts fans have asked it,
02:35Kabangu is being brought in to play as a centre forward
02:39because I myself, before speaking to you,
02:41was under the impression that he was more of a wide forward
02:44sort of player, a kind of inside forward attacking winger
02:48but Hearts are bringing him in as an out-and-out striker.
02:51Yeah, they see him as what you would call a number nine.
02:54That's not to say that they won't play him out wide
02:57or maybe as a second striker at some point,
02:59they possibly could but at the moment he's coming in
03:01as a striker, as somebody who will play up top
03:04and lead the forward line.
03:06They're conscious that James Wilson has been terrific
03:11in the last few weeks and looks at an enormous prospect for Hearts
03:15I think anyone who knows a little bit about football
03:18and how young players develop, I think you would realise
03:21that you can't play a 17-year-old up front 90 minutes every week,
03:25right through to the end of the season
03:27because you will have a drop-off
03:29and it will affect his development
03:31and if the team start to struggle it can affect them mentally.
03:34So Kabangu comes in and gives Hearts a far more experienced option
03:38and just a chance to take Wilson out of the team
03:41when they see fit and rotate a little bit more.
03:44So they definitely needed another option up there
03:46and I think at the moment they would probably see
03:49Lauren Shanklin, Dan Liam Boyce in similar boats
03:52and that they're probably more second strikers at the minute.
03:55They would play more in the hole rather than up top
03:58although both of them can do that.
04:00I think Wilson and Kabangu would be the guys
04:03that they would choose for the second half of the season anyway
04:06to be leading the forward line.
04:08Let's move from striker to centre-back.
04:12Jamie McCart is over the line.
04:14He's in, he's a Hearts player
04:16and that made his debut off the bench in the 89th minute
04:20just kind of came on to probably A, to calm things down
04:24and B, just to give the travelling fans a reason to stand up
04:29and applaud before full-time, before they had that.
04:33But it looks like it's going to be one in, one out
04:36which probably comes as a bit of a surprise
04:38because Kai Rose is seemingly heading away
04:40although Hearts are in line for a decent chunk of change.
04:44I think this has been on the cards for a while.
04:46We mentioned back in around about October, November time
04:50that there was interest in Kai Rose
04:52from different clubs, different continents even.
04:55Obviously, this is close to going through now.
04:58They're waiting on, there's a little bit of issues with agents
05:01and things like that that they need to clear up
05:03before they could get him across to the MLS.
05:05But DC United are very keen to get him
05:08and they've got a fee agreed with Hearts at the moment.
05:11I think all the paperwork is still to be absolutely signed off
05:14but all the nuts and bolts of the deal are in place
05:17and that's a £600,000 transfer fee
05:20for someone who cost, I think, less than a third of that
05:24is pretty decent business from Hearts' perspective.
05:28I know that they put Kai Rose on a five-year contract
05:31and it was, you know, people thought at that time
05:34he'd started his Hearts career really well
05:36and they'd given him this new deal
05:38and, you know, people were thinking, you know,
05:40they would earn millions and millions of pounds from Rose.
05:42That hasn't materialised.
05:43I think probably the fee that they're getting
05:45is pretty reasonable in this day and age
05:49to get money like that for a centre-back
05:51and particularly when you've already got your replacement in now
05:54in Jamie McCart.
05:55I think it makes sense for Hearts to do that.
05:59They would probably think that bringing Jamie McCart in
06:03just gives them an automatic replacement.
06:05Somebody who already knows the Scottish league
06:07left-sided centre-back
06:09and possibly someone who could develop into a real asset for them
06:14if he plays regularly enough and grows and develops.
06:17It's an interesting one with Rose.
06:18Like you say, I think towards the start of his Hearts career
06:21there was a lot of fanfare and that died off a bit
06:24and his form was, if patchy would be the right words.
06:28I'd seen him play enough times where he's had good games
06:31and he's had certainly not as good games
06:34being polite.
06:35It just feels to me, I don't know, it feels like an odd one.
06:39I know you say it's been on the cards for a while
06:41but given the injury to Frankie Kent
06:43I wouldn't have thought they would have been overly keen
06:46to be letting their centre-back options
06:49leave whatever you may think about, Rose.
06:52Before the window ends, I'd be surprised if they don't sign
06:55one other defender at least.
06:57But they do have other options there.
06:58It's probably important to stress that.
07:00Daniel Oigoke can play centre-back.
07:03Craig Halkett has gone in there and done really well.
07:05Let's be honest, some supporters were quite keen
07:10for Hearts to get rid of Halkett in the last transfer window.
07:13He's obviously still there.
07:15He's still got another year on his contract after this season
07:17and he's been invaluable for them since Kent's injury.
07:21He's come into the team and slotted right back in there.
07:24It took a couple of games just to get right up to match sharpness
07:28but he's been very solid for them.
07:30He's been really good in the air and on the ground.
07:32You have to say, really dependable.
07:35Let's just finish off.
07:37Let's just talk a little bit about Jamie McCart.
07:39It's fair to say it's a signing that hasn't set the heather alight
07:43by any means.
07:44I think people recognise, like you said, he's a decent centre-back
07:47that's played at a good enough level that knows the league.
07:50Obviously, a lot of fans look back to the season he had
07:52with St Johnstone with a cup double where he was one of the key standouts
07:57of a really impressive defence for St Johnstone.
08:01I read a few things online, some people saying things like,
08:04well, the season after that, he was far, far more disappointing
08:09for the standard that he'd set himself.
08:12Obviously, his career since moving down south hasn't panned out at all
08:16how he might have liked it.
08:20I don't know about that.
08:21I do seem to remember from that St Johnstone team,
08:24I remember when Jason Kerr left, it was gutted but all the best.
08:28When Sean Rooney left, it was gutted, all the best.
08:31I don't recall the St Johnstone fans being overly heartbroken
08:35when Jamie McCart left at the time.
08:37I could be wrong.
08:38Any St Johnstone fans that happen to be listening,
08:40please correct me on that.
08:42I just get the feeling it feels, without trying to put too much
08:45of a damper on it, a wee bit of an underwhelming signing.
08:49I don't know if the Hearts fans necessarily believe that as much
08:53as McCart is going to be a solid squad player,
08:56at the very least for Hearts.
08:58There's no reason he can't go on to be an important first-team player.
09:01It's not a huge improvement on what they already have.
09:05Yes, I would agree it's maybe not a huge improvement,
09:08but I think McCart, what he'll bring,
09:11I think he's more physical than Rose.
09:14He's probably slightly better in the air than Rose is.
09:20Is he better on the ground?
09:21I don't think there's much in it.
09:23What he does bring, he brings experience
09:25and he also brings a level of success, experience of success,
09:30because he's joined Hearts, obviously, in the last couple of days
09:33and straight away, other than Craig Gordon,
09:36he's the most successful player in the squad in terms of trophies won.
09:39That goes for something in a dressing room.
09:42When a footballer like that walks into a dressing room,
09:45the other guys will look at him and say,
09:47okay, so this guy's won the Scottish Cup and he's won the League Cup
09:50and he's done it with a provincial club as well.
09:52It's not like he's done it with an Aberdeen or a Hearts or a Hibs
09:55or whoever, Celtic or Rangers.
09:57He's done it with St Johnstone,
09:58so that earns you respect right away when you walk in the dressing room
10:03and you've got that in your CV.
10:05I think McCart will be a decent signing for Hearts.
10:10You're right in what you say about St Johnstone.
10:12The season after the Double Cup win wasn't a good one for them at all.
10:18I think Jamie McCart suffered a little bit there because,
10:21as you say, Sean Rooney left, Jason Kerr was sold,
10:26Ali McCann was sold.
10:28So there were three massive players for them
10:31and Jamie McCart was one of the ones who stayed on a little bit longer
10:34and didn't, you know, he was kind of,
10:36not left holding the baby, but you understand the point I'm making.
10:39He was the one or one of the more experienced ones who was still there
10:43when all the top guys that helped him win those trophies had gone
10:47and the team simply wasn't at the same standard.
10:49So he suffered and the other, you know,
10:51the rest of the players in the team at the time suffered.
10:53I don't think you could level that solely at him.
10:55So he's got an opportunity to come to Hearts.
10:59There's clearly a void there at left centre-back.
11:01Kyro's due to move on in the next couple of weeks.
11:04So what a great opportunity it is for him to come from Rotherham United.
11:08League One wasn't, he was starting games for Rotherham,
11:13quite a few games for Rotherham this season,
11:15last couple of weeks he'd dropped out the side.
11:17So he now gets a chance to kind of restart his career
11:21and he's coming into the peak years of his career as well.
11:23So Hearts is definitely a good move for him, I think.
11:27That about covers all the latest transfer news so far,
11:30but obviously anything more that crops up
11:32Edinburgh Evening News is your place to go.
11:34Keep an eye on the website.
11:36We'll have obviously updates on social media and so on
11:39to keep you abreast of all the latest transfer news.
11:45END TRANSCRIPT