Image source, SNSHeart of Midlothian are aiming to appoint a new head coach before the first-team squad return for pre-season next Thursday, with at least three candidates from abroad among the options being considered. (Hearts Standard), external
Hearts are now searching for their third head coach in 14 months, after Derek McInnes departed to join Rangers.
However, the Tynecastle club have insisted that they have already been preparing to identify a successor.
Last term's Premiership runners-up start the new season with a Champions League qualifier over two legs against Sturm Graz in July.
"Derek made it clear that he wished to pursue this opportunity," a Hearts statement read. "Succession planning is a continuous process and preparations for this eventuality have already been undertaken.
"A number of candidates have been identified and the process of appointing a new head coach has already begun, with the aim of making the right appointment as swiftly as possible.
"We are committed to appointing a head coach who can drive further improvement, and help deliver the success our supporters expect and deserve."
Derek McInnes has swapped the Hearts hotseat for Rangers, taking charge at Ibrox on a three-year contract.
The 54-year-old steered Hearts to within minutes of the title in his solitary season at the Tynecastle helm.
He replaces Danny Rohl, who has left Rangers to take the reins at Red Bull Salzburg.
Rangers fans, what do you make of McInnes' appointment? Is the the right man for the job? Tell us here.
Hearts fans, how big a blow is McInnes' departure? And who would you like to replace him. Let us know here.
Image source, PA MediaRayo Vallecano's squad is peppered with seasoned internationals
Hearts will host Rayo Vallecano in a pre-season friendly next month.
The match at Tynecastle will take place on Friday, 17 July with a 19:45 BST kick-off.
The La Liga club are in search of a new head coach, with Inigo Perez having recently departed at the end of his contract. He subsequently joined Villarreal.
Last season, Madrid-based Rayo finished eighth in La Liga and lost to Crystal Palace in the Conference League final.
Rayo's visit to Edinburgh will take place a few days before Hearts begin their Champions League qualifying campaign. They have been drawn to face Sturm Graz in the second qualifying round, with the first leg in Austria on 21/22 July.
Hearts have been drawn against Sturm Graz in Champions League qualifying.
Satisfied with that? Fancy their chances of progress?
Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, Getty ImagesFabio Ingolitsch took over at Sturm Graz during the winter break
Hearts were either going to be drawn against seeded sides Sturm Graz or Fenerbahce in the Champions League second qualifying round and it was the Austrians who came out of the pot.
On the one hand, it means they drew a side who finished 26th in last season's Europa League instead of one that finished above Celtic in 19th.
However, it also means they will be unseeded for the third qualifying round should they win on aggregate after the games in Graz on 21/22 July and the return at Tynecastle the following week.
Facing Fabio Ingolitsch's Austrian Bundesliga runners-up could be considered the slightly easier tie, but either was going to be tough due to their greater European experience.
However, it should be viewed as winnable given Sturm only narrowly defeated Rangers 2-1 at home - and lost to Celtic by the same score in Glasgow - in October at a time when both sides of the Old Firm were facing a bit of turmoil.
They had dropped into the Europa League after a 6-2 aggregate thrashing by Norwegians Bodo/Glimt in their Champions League play-off.
That was before Ingolitch was appointed during the winter break from Bundesliga rivals Rheindorf Altach with Jurgen Saumel having left with his side sitting third in the domestic table.
The 34-year-old former midfielder led his side to the top of the table by the end of the first stage of the season, but they let a one-point lead slip after their version of the league split and ended up two adrift of LASK. A scenario that will sound familiar to Hearts fans.
The Austrian has already made four summer signings, none of them household names, and 20-year-old Bosnia-Herzegovina right-back Arjan Malic is their only player at the current World Cup.
However, there are some players who might be familiar to British fans outside of those games against the Old Firm.
Slovenia defensive midfielder Jon Gorenc Stankovic was signed in 2020 from Huddersfield Town, while defender Emanuel Aiwu had a loan spell with Birmingham City.
Georgia midfielder Otar Kiteishvili has featured against Scotland, while midfielder Ryan Fosso, recently made his Cameroon debut after switching allegiance from Switzerland.
However, it is not a tie that should strike fear into whoever becomes head coach should Derek McInnes move to Rangers as expected.
Does a tie against Lyon, Bodo/Glimt, Olympiacos, or the winner of Fenerbahce against Gornik Zabrze await?
Image source, SNSFalkirk's John McGlynn would be the natural successor to Derek McInnes at Tynecastle should the Hearts head coach complete his expected move to Rangers, according to former Partick Thistle manager Kris Doolan.
He reckons a Scottish input best complements the Jamestown Analytics scouting system being used by the Edinburgh club.
"If you are looking at the reason Hearts took Derek McInnes, it was his knowledge of Scottish football," Doolan told the BBC Scottish Football Podcast.
"I think they were crying out for somebody to come in, stabilise the club, use all the analytics but still win games.
"And I think that's what it's down to. You know, you can use all the data you want, you can use all the the fancy technology, but ultimately the manager, the players, the staff, they need to know the country and and the types of games they're going to come up against.
"That's why Derek was so successful, I think, at Hearts, because he knows the league inside out.
"John McGlynn to me is exactly on the same path as Derek McInnes in terms of that knowledge. What he's done with Falkirk over the the last few years has been amazing.
"He picked them up, I don't know, whether mid-table or something in League One, and they're now in the top six of the Premiership. You don't have to always overlook these guys to go abroad.
"The analytics absolutely will be used at Hearts, but John McGlynn will score really well on on the analytics just because he he has been so successful.
"You don't know how somebody's personality will deal with that pressure until they're actually there. But John McGlynn, he's been at Hearts previously. He understands the club."
Image source, SNSHearts midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof has returned to his native Australia in search of regular first-team football, with Perth Glory's football director describing the season-long loan as "a coup" for the A-League club.
The 25-year-old joined Hearts in 2023 from Western Sydney Wanderers and made 29 appearances in his first season with the Scottish Premiership club.
But that was down to 14 the following season after missing the first six months through injury and he only played four times at the start of the last campaign before picking up another injury in the League Cup against Dumbarton.
Nieuwenhof told Glory's website: "I'm looking forward to getting back playing consistently.
"It is a club with huge potential and I'm hoping we can challenge for the title this season.
"Having worked with [head coach] Adam Griffiths and [assistant coach] Tomi Vidovic before, I know the high standards they set, which is a big reason I am so keen to join the club."
Nieuwenhof, an Australia Under-23 cap, came through the youth ranks with Sydney club Manly United before joining Sydney FC then Western Sydney.
Glory football director Stan Lazaridis said: "Calem is a top-class player and securing his services is a real coup for the us.
"He worked with Adam Griffiths previously at Manly United, so he knows his style of play and he's a perfect fit for it.
"There's no doubt in my mind that he can be a key figure as we look to secure finals football in the coming season."
Glory finished 10th of the 12 teams in the A-League last season and failed to reach the finals.
Sebastien Pocognoli, sacked this month by Monaco, is currently the leading candidate to replace Derek McInnes and become Hearts' next head coach should Derek McInnes move to Rangers. (Football Insider), external
Dutchman Rene Hake, the 54-year-old who recently left his role as Feyenoord assistant, is favourite to become the next Hearts head coach. (Daily Record), external
Former Ferencvaros head coach Robbie Keane, who was under consideration by Celtic this summer, has been installed as one of the bookmakers' favourites to be next Hearts boss. (Scottish Sun), external
Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.
Kenny Crawford
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSFormer captain Christophe Berra believes Hearts will have "big shoes to fill" if head coach Derek McInnes does indeed depart to take over at Rangers.
There has been strong speculation linking the 54-year-old with a return to Ibrox, where he was a player between 1995 and 2000, if Danny Rohl moves to become head coach at RB Salzburg.
McInnes only joined Hearts last summer but almost led them to a first top-flight title in 66 years, being pipped on the final day by reigning champions Celtic.
"He would be hard to replace," Berra told Radio Scotland Breakfast.
"He's very experienced in Scottish football; a man-manager and he's got that presence. Whoever comes in, if Derek does leave, they've got big shoes to fill.
"It would be a big loss, especially coming off the back of last season, when the team had an incredible season and he was the leader of it.
"However, with Jamestown Analytics, you'd like to think they've done their due diligence and they've got managers ready and lined up."
Contracts have been agreed for head coach Danny Rohl's switch from Rangers to RB Salzburg and for Hearts' Derek McInnes to arrive at Ibrox as his replacement, but talks are continuing about the German's desire to take his backroom team with him. (Scottish Sun), external
Rangers are set to receive a £2m compensation fee when head coach Danny Rohl's switch to RB Salzburg is completed. (The National), external
Senior Hearts officials will interview candidates this week as they prepare for head coach Derek McInnes' departure for Rangers after compiling a shortlist and hope to make an appointment within 10 days. (Edinburgh Evening News), external
Hearts officials have already held informal talks with head coach candidates from Britain and abroad as they prepare to appoint a new head coach ahead of the first-team reporting back to the Oriam on 25 June before flying out to Spain for a warm-weather training camp. (Hearts Standard), external
Real Salt Lake are leading the chase for Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin and the Major League Soccer club's wages outweigh the amount on offer to the 28-year-old Australian international to re-sign for the Edinburgh outfit. (Daily Record), external
Hearts and Dundee United are both interested in Wolverhampton Wanderers left wing-back Ethan Sutherland, the former St Mirren 20-year-old. (Daily Record), external
Read Tuesday's Scottish Gossip in full.
Image source, SNSDerek McInnes is poised to replace Danny Rohl as Rangers head coach
Image source, SNSAndy Halliday believes supporters of his former club, Rangers, will be in favour of the prospect of Derek McInnes coming in to replace head coach Danny Rohl.
German Rohl has been heavily linked with RB Salzburg and Hearts' McInnes with Rangers.
McInnes played for Rangers in the late 1990s and joined Hearts - his fifth club as a manager - last summer, leading the Tynecastle side to a runners-up place in the Scottish Premiership.
And Halliday told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast: "If you offered me that Rangers would make a profit and swap their manager from Danny Rohl to Derek McInnes, I don't think there's a Rangers fan in world football that wouldn't have taken it.
"Danny was going to be under immense pressure at the start of the season and it would have been quite possible that Rangers would have had to pay money to relieve him from his duties very early on into the season.
"It's so happened that they've managed to make a profit and get another manager under their belt and for me they're bringing in a manager, not a coach, not a young promising coach, they're bringing in a manager with a proven track record in Scottish football.
"Derek McInnes ticks a lot of boxes for Rangers. It's exciting times."
On McInnes' impact at Hearts and the influence of investor Tony Bloom, former Celtic and Hibernian player Scott Allan said: "That just gives Tony Bloom the bit between his teeth. That makes him even more determined.
"To be right in amongst it and in the Scottish Premiership this season, he's felt the atmosphere of the ground.
"The key word was resilience, that is something Hearts showed in abundance as a team first and foremost last year.
"I feel Tony Bloom goes out and goes, 'OK, what have we got next?' And he'll look to really strengthen Hearts this year."
With four signings already in place, Heart of Midlothian will make up to six more by the time the summer window closes and there will very likely also be one or two departures. (Edinburgh Evening News)
Hearts are unlikely to turn to two former Tynecastle stalwarts - Falkirk's John McGlynn and Dundee's Steven Pressley - as a replacement should head coach Derek McInnes join Rangers - but could still shop again in the Scottish market. (Daily Record)
Read the rest of Monday's gossip.
Image source, SNSDerek McInnes is a logical appointment who will thrive on the challenge of rebuilding Rangers, says Dave McPherson.
The Hearts head coach is being strongly linked with a move to Ibrox, with Danny Rohl expected to depart for RB Salzburg.
"Rangers need a bit of stability," said former Scotland defender McPherson, who had two spells with the club, along with two stints with Hearts.
"Derek's proved – not just at Hearts, but in previous clubs he's been at – that he can build a good team, get the best out of players, and get results, and that's what Rangers need at the moment.
"He'd have been my choice as Rangers manager way back, but I think he's proved even more at Hearts how good a manager he is.
"Rangers are there to be rebuilt and I think it's a good time for a Scottish manager and a guy that's played for Rangers to go in there and say, 'right, I can start from the bottom up and build something big here'.
"He's going to have some funds behind him but it will still come down to recruitment. You have to recruit the right players, and I think that's where Rangers have failed in the past.
"If you think of the job that was done at Hearts last year, it was a fantastic set-up, and everybody wanted to play for Hearts. He got the best out of the players, and I think if he can transfer that to the Rangers job, then it'll be a good Rangers team to watch next season."
McInnes moved to Tynecastle from Kilmarnock last summer, with Hearts going so close to a first title in 66 years.
Defeat at Celtic Park on the final day left the Edinburgh side two points behind the defending champions and eight points in front of Rangers.
Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland has already made the switch from Tynecastle to Ibrox and McInnes taking the same path would be "a massive blow", according to McPherson, although he is confident the club is can cope without the key duo.
"I don't have any idea who they're going to go for, but there's big shoes to fill there," he said.
"Having spoken to a lot of people at Hearts last season, they've got a really good set-up. They're built in such a way that if they do lose somebody, then they've got things in the background that's going to be able to replace a player or a manager, so I've got every confidence in Hearts doing really, really well next year again."
Image source, SNSRangers have agreed a deal to appoint Hearts' Derek McInnes as their new head coach as Danny Rohl departs to RB Salzburg. (Fabrizio Romano on X), external
Derek McInnes has agreed a deal in principle to leave Hearts and become the new Rangers manager. (Sky Sports), external
Rangers chairman Andrew Cavenagh has agreed to pay a significant six-figure compensation fee to take Derek McInnes from Hearts to Ibrox. (Scottish Sun), external
Derek McInnes will sign a three-year deal at Rangers once the Hearts boss replaces Danny Rohl. (The Herald - subscription required), external
Rangers are targeting an official announcement for Derek McInnes by Monday. (TeamTalk), external
Image source, SNSRangers making a move for Hearts boss Derek McInnes if Danny Rohl leaves for Red Bull Salzburg would be a "no-brainer", according to BBC Scotland chief sports writer Tom English.
The Ibrox club have reportedly asked Hearts for permission to speak to McInnes, external as Rohl seemingly edges closer to an Ibrox exit.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound, English said: "If Rangers are looking for a manager, Derek McInnes is a no-brainer. I think it's an obvious call.
"He moved to Hearts and almost won the league in his first season. He's very experienced, a gnarled pro in Scotland, there's nothing he doesn't know about this league. His worth ethic is through the roof.
"He would be a very good fit for Rangers. They will spend money this summer and I just think it makes sense.
"I don't think Jamestown Analytics - who are obviously hugely influential at Hearts - would shed any tears because they're quite a clinical operation. If a player or manager leaves it's, right, who's next? They're very focused and don't dwell on people coming and going."
Former Hearts captain and manager Craig Levein believes an approach from Rangers would leave McInnes with a "very difficult decision".
"I think the fact Hearts have been elevated by Tony Bloom's arrival - and the manager has that backing - it would be a very difficult decision for Derek to leave and go to Ibrox," Levein said.
"He's building a really good team at Hearts and last season was the closest any non-Old Firm team has come to winning the league in 40 years.
"He seems happy where he is and that's quite an important thing. For me, this isn't as cut and dried as it might have been two or three years ago. I think there's more for Derek to mull over."
Former Hearts striker Darren Jackson has questioned whether McInnes would reject Rangers again, having turned down the job in 2017 when at Aberdeen.
"He's obviously a Rangers man and that pull got Lawrence Shankland, who wanted to play for his boyhood heroes," said Jackson.
"The expectations next season at Hearts are through the roof. Third won't be good enough - because of what's happened this year - so the pressure becomes a lot more."
Danny Rohl is edging closer to quitting Rangers as talks continue with RB Salzburg over a multi-million-pound compensation package for the head coach, with Hearts' Derek McInnes on a four-man shortlist along with a former Premier League manager to replace the German. (Rangers Review - subscription required), external
Danny Rohl is on the verge of exiting Rangers to join RB Salzburg and Hearts' Derek McInnes is high on their list of contenders to replace the German as head coach should a deal be sealed. (Scottish Sun), external
Rangers will consider offering former manager Steven Gerrard or Hearts' Derek McInnes the head coach role should a compensation deal be agreed with RB Salzburg for Danny Rohl, while former target Kevin Muscat will also come into the running. (Daily Record), external
Hearts are braced for an approach from Rangers for head coach Derek McInnes should Danny Rohl depart for RB Salzburg. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external
Image source, SNSHearts forward Kenneth Vargas will play next season on loan at Greek Super League club Kalamata.
The Costa Rican spent last season at Deportiva Alajuelense in his homeland, scoring five times in 20 appearances.
Vargas, 24, has a contract with Hearts until 2029 but has not played since May 2025.
He has 13 goals in 84 appearances for the club since signing in 2023.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Harry Stone has signed a contract extension to 2028, and will go on loan to Championship side Ayr United next term.
