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Scotsman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts player released signs for David Beckham's club in EFL transfer deal
Jorge Grant signs for English club run by Man Utd legends 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... Jorge Grant has followed his Hearts exit by signing a two-year contract at English League Two side Salford City. Salford are owned by a consortium led by Manchester United legends David Beckham and Gary Neville, and manager Karl Robinson welcomed Grant on trial earlier this week. The 30-year-old midfielder was involved in a 2-2 friendly draw against FC United of Manchester at Broadhurst Park on Tuesday evening, and has now committed his future to Salford. He had interest from other clubs in the English Football League but chose City as the next club in his career. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I am really happy, this has been in the pipeline for the last few weeks, so I am just delighted to be here now,' he told the Salford website. 'I got to meet the lads yesterday, and I just want to crack on now and get into the games. My target is promotion. I feel like the team obviously missed out on that last year on the last day, so it is important that there is no hangover from that. 'We look forward, looking to the future, and we push on to make sure that we go one better this year and look to go up. I am really excited to meet all the fans, this is the first time that I have been here as I have never played here before, it is a really nice stadium, so I am really looking forward to it.' Grant was released by Hearts in May when his three-year deal expired and he returned to England to weigh up his future. He previously played for Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Luton Town, Mansfield Town, Lincoln City and Peterborough United - therefore possessing an abundance of experience in the EFL. He joined Hearts in 2022 under then-manager Robbie Neilson and went on to make 110 appearances in maroon, scoring 10 goals. He experienced European football in Scotland before leaving as a free agent two months ago. City were keen to strengthen their midfield ahead of the 2025/26 campaign in League Two and moved to agree a deal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts have brought in several new signings after releasing Grant along with winger Barrie McKay at the end of last season. Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Portuguese forward Claudio Braga, Belgian striker Elton Kabangu and Scottish centre-back Stuart Findlay have all arrived. More Hearts transfers as new men arrive in Edinburgh Two more new faces are set to follow after Albanian winger Sabah Kerjota and Burkinabe forward Pierre Landry Kabore touched down in Edinburgh this week. They are going through the necessary immigration protocol in an effort to finalise moves to Tynecastle Park as soon as possible. Kerjota's £120,000 transfer from the Italian Serie C club US Sambenedettese is agreed and his registration with the Scottish Football Association should be processed first. He is a left-footed Albanian winger who favours the right flank. With 10 goals and 11 assists as Sambenedettese gained promotion from Italy's regional leagues last season, the 23-year-old's form attracted attention from Hearts. Kabore is likely to take slightly longer. As an African arriving in the UK, he must go through a different immigration process. Tynecastle officials are paying a modest fee to bring the 24-year-old Burkina Faso internationalist to Scotland from the Estonian side JK Narva Trans, where he scored 12 goals in 15 league games. He is also a left-footed winger who plays on the right but scored many goals as a striker this season. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There's nothing we can say officially other than Kerjota might be the easier one to do and might be done quicker because of rules and regulations,' explained the Hearts head coach Derek McInnes earlier this week. 'He has not had a pre-season so we are going to have to wait a bit for him to get up to speed and get work into him. Kabore is ready to play but can't play yet - not available for Saturday [against Dunfermline] or Tuesday [against Hamilton] but possibly next Saturday [against Stirling Albion].' READ MORE: Hearts captain confirmed
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Hearts player released goes on trial at David Beckham's football club in England's EFL
Man Utd legends in charge as midfielder looks for a new team 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... Jorge Grant has followed his Hearts exit with a trial at English League Two side Salford City as he looks to secure a new club for this season. Salford are owned by a consortium led by Manchester United legends David Beckham and Gary Neville, and manager Karl Robinson welcomed Grant this week. The 30-year-old midfielder featured in a 2-2 friendly draw against FC United of Manchester at Broadhurst Park on Tuesday evening. He has interest from other clubs in the English Football League and it remains to be seen whether Salford offer him a contract. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Grant was released by Hearts in May when his three-year deal expired and he returned to England to weigh up his future. He previously played for Nottingham Forest, Notts County, Luton Town, Mansfield Town, Lincoln City and Peterborough United - therefore possessing an abundance of experience in the EFL. He joined Hearts in 2022 under then-manager Robbie Neilson and went on to make 110 appearances in maroon, scoring 10 goals. He experienced European football in Scotland and is now a free agent. City are keen to strengthen their midfield ahead of the 2025/26 campaign in League Two. Hearts have brought in several new signings after releasing Grant along with winger Barrie McKay at the end of last season. Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Portuguese forward Claudio Braga, Belgian striker Elton Kabangu and Scottish centre-back Stuart Findlay have all arrived. Two more new faces are set to follow after Albanian winger Sabah Kerjota and Burkinabe forward Pierre Landry Kabore touched down in Edinburgh this week. They are going through the necessary immigration protocol in an effort to finalise moves to Tynecastle Park as soon as possible. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kerjota's £120,000 transfer from the Italian Serie C club US Sambenedettese is agreed and his registration with the Scottish Football Association should be processed first. He is a left-footed Albanian winger who favours the right flank. With 10 goals and 11 assists as Sambenedettese gained promotion from Italy's regional leagues last season, the 23-year-old's form attracted attention from Hearts. Kabore is likely to take slightly longer. As an African arriving in the UK, he must go through a different immigration process. Tynecastle officials are paying a modest fee to bring the 24-year-old Burkina Faso internationalist to Scotland from the Estonian side JK Narva Trans, where he scored 12 goals in 15 league games. He is also a left-footed winger who plays on the right but scored many goals as a striker this season. More to follow....
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Rampant Hearts win 8-0 against SPFL side ahead of Premier Sports Cup opener against Dunfermline
East Kilbride friendly sees seven different Tynecastle goalscorers 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... Seven different players etched their names on the scoresheet as Hearts completed an 8-0 friendly win over East Kilbride on Tuesday night. Derek McInnes' team enjoyed a rampant evening behind closed doors at K-Park in their final preparation match ahead of Saturday's opening Premier Sports Cup tie against Dunfermline Athletic. McInnes took a strong side to East Kilbride and reaped the benefit with a resounding victory. Hearts sat 2-0 ahead by half-time and then struck six times in the second half to demonstrate their scoring threat under the new head coach. League Two East Kilbride were swept aside in a result which boosts morale with competitive action starting. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lawrence Shankland struck the crossbar inside the first three minutes as Hearts took control. Then came a goal-line clearance from Luke Main before Shankland struck the post with the rebound and Calem Nieuwenhof's effort was blocked. James Wilson opened the scoring a minute later with a right-footed strike into the bottom corner. Claudio Braga claimed the second goal on 22 minutes. The Portuguese forward collected Alan Forrest's ball to shoot from the edge of the penalty area through a busy goalmouth and into the East Kilbride net. Left-back Harry Milne saw one effort saved by the home goalkeeper Freddie Owens before a further strike hit clipped the crossbar as half-time approached. McInnes made 10 changes during the interval, with goalkeeper Zander Clark the only man to remain on the field. Midfielder Yan Dhanda scored Hearts' third on 57 minutes from a one-on-one situation, and Blair Spittal converted the fourth from the penalty spot on the hour after Main fouled Sander Kartum. Are Hearts ready for SPFL season 2025/26? Two minutes later, Stephen Kingsley's crossed was tucked home from close range by Elton Kabangu to put the visitors 5-0 ahead. Musa Drammeh made it six with a powerful strike into the top corner, and Kabangu drilled the seventh across goal into the net. The final goal of the night arrived on 79 minutes, and again Kabangu was involved. His run on the right ended with a cross for Kartum to complete a straightforward finish. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The match was the third and final pre-season outing for Hearts before Saturday's cup tie at Tynecastle. They drew 1-1 with St Mirren and beat English League Two side Crawley Town in Spain last week, both of which were also closed-door games. They face Dunfermline, Hamilton, Stirling Albion and Dumbarton in the Premier Sports Cup this month before a friendly against Sunderland in Craig Gordon's testimonial. The 2025/26 Scottish Premiership begins on Monday, 4 August, when McInnes' former side Aberdeen visit Tynecastle. The head coach spent eight years at Pittodrie and will be eager to get his reign in Gorgie off to a winning start. He will fine tune during the Premier Sports Cup matches but is also determined to put out the strongest available side in each group match. Hearts first half: Clark; McEntee, Kent, Findlay, Milne; Forrest, Devlin, Nieuwenhof, Braga; Shankland, Wilson. Hearts second half: Clark; Borchgrevink, Steinwender, Halkett, Kingsley; Kartum, Baningime, Spittal, Dhanda; Drammeh, Kabangu. Unused subs: Fulton, Stone, Denholm, Forrester.
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Hearts players 'knock their pan in' during Spain trip
Hearts' players have been "an absolute joy" during their pre-season camp in Spain and have "knocked their pan in", says new manager Derek Tynecastle side comfortably beat English League Two side Crawley Town on Friday, with a performance that impressed their boss."The game itself was very competitive, with plenty of full-throttle tackles and challenges, and I think that we stood up to that," he said."I actually thought there was a wee bit more indication about the team that we want to be in terms of being a bit more natural to play, look forward a bit quicker, look into wide players quicker, look into strikers quicker."I think we've had a look at the lads, they've had a look at us and what we're looking at, what we're demanding from them. I think we're getting there."
Scotsman
04-07-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
More Hearts transfers to come as Derek McInnes reveals his plans - plus a loan deal
Tynecastle squad are in Spain preparing for an EFL friendly 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 play the final friendly of their Spanish training camp against Crawley Town on Friday, after which head coach Derek McInnes will re-evaluate the first-team squad. He brought 28 players here and watched Wednesday's 1-1 draw with St Mirren. Now he is preparing for English League Two opponents before Saturday's flight back to Edinburgh. Having signed six players already this summer, and with captain Lawrence Shankland signing a three-year contract after arriving in Spain, McInnes is far from finished in the transfer market. Negotiations are currently ongoing for two attackers, Albanian winger Sabah Kerjota from Italian Serie C side US Sambenedettese and Burkina Faso internationalist Pierre Landry Kabore from Estonian club JK Narva Trans. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad All six new signings completed so far are in Spain with Hearts - Norwegian right-back Christian Borchgrevink, Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis, Belgian striker Elton Kabangu, Irish midfielder Oisin McEntee, Portuguese striker Claudio Braga and Scottish centre-back Stuart Findlay. McInnes outlined his plan for the remainder of the summer window at the pre-season base as he looks to recruit more players. 'It's dependent, really, on what we get from the lads here,' he said. 'But I still think for us to be the team that I've envisaged - and obviously if I'm getting this opportunity, it needs to be a team that I want as well and how I see it, how it's playing - we're still two or three short I think for that to be perfect. We're a bit overloaded in certain areas, but we've got some good options as well in certain areas. So I feel really happy and grateful that we've got those options. I still think we could do with two or three.' A nerve injury in Craig Gordon's shoulder means Zander Clark, Ryan Fulton and Harry Stone are the three goalkeepers on this trip. McInnes, for now, has not moved to bring in another one. 'Not at the minute, no' he explained. 'We're hopeful that Zander can stay fit and Craig gets a bit of encouragement for whether he's going to make it or he's not going to be too far out [for the Premiership starting]. Then we go as we are. Loan transfer to League One for Hearts keeper 'We'll probably loan young Liam McFarlane out. He's got a lot of interest from League One clubs, such was his good loan at East Fife last season. So we'll try and allow his development. We'll put him out to a part-time club so that we've got him with us every day. The criteria was best level possible in a part-time club because I want him as a training goalie and I also need to see him every day.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts accepted an offer worth £2m for James Penrice from the Greek club AEK Athens and there are likely to be more departures over the coming weeks. 'I think it'll be probably a natural way with that,' remarked McInnes. 'Obviously at the minute we're working away with the lads and I'm delighted, I need to stress that, how pleased we are with them. But, when teams start to get picked, there are maybe some players who might need to look elsewhere to get more regular football. 'Obviously Macaulay [Tait], we took advantage of that [loan deal]. I'd like to have worked with Macaulay a wee bit longer, to be honest, but I didn't want him to lose that opportunity and Livingston would have moved on quickly if there was any delay with that. I spoke to Macaulay, we thought there were so many positives from taking that option. 'For a couple of the younger element of the squad, there have been a few inquiries about maybe going out on loans and stuff like that. While we've got a few too many at the minute, it doesn't feel like that because the boys are all working hard. Everybody has got a chance at the minute.' READ MORE: How Hearts new signings fared in Spain
