£1m PLAYER FOR £150k
HEARTS SEAN SNUBBED BIG MOVES
CRAIG LEVEIN reckons Hearts have landed a £1million player for just £150,000 in Sean Clare.
The Jambos boss initially planned on a loan move for the ex-Sheffield Wednesday kid but took advantage of cross-border compensation rules to snap up the attacking midfielder on a three-year deal.
The Tynecastle club are shelling out £150k for the two years he was with the Owls but the starlet could’ve potentially cost an English club a seven-figure fee.
Clare’s also taken a wage cut to come to Edinburgh which has allowed Hearts to land a player they wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise.
Levein said: “Sean is a really good player. He was at Sheffield Wednesday, his contract was up and he decided he was leaving.
“He was supposedly going to one of the Championship or Premier League clubs who were interested.
“The idea was we would BY ANTHONY HAGGERTY then take him on loan. His wages were way beyond what we can afford.
“He then had to get a foot operation in March and preseason was gone. Clubs had already signed their players just as he was getting fit.
“So the deal changed from us getting him on loan to whether we could get him permanently.
“But cross-border compensation is more straightforward. They’re a category two club and so are we so it’s 150,000 euros for his two years plus at Wednesday.
“The question then became could Hearts find 150,000 euros (just over £140,000) to invest in a player we would normally not be able to sign. The bonus now is he’s our player and not on loan.
“Very rarely do you get those opportunities. The way the cards have fallen, it’s worked out particularly well for us.
“Sean was prepared to come in under our salary cap. I didn’t think we’d be able to get him on those terms but he’s a sensible kid.
“He sees this as a good move for him. If he can play regularly here it will elevate his chances of playing at the top level. But he’ll be struggling to get into our first team right now!”
Levein being named the Premiership Manager of the Month for August was cause for further celebration for tabletoppers Hearts.
The Jambos are aiming for a sixth straight win against Livingston tomorrow but the boss isn’t underestimating the top-flight new boys. He said: “I wish I could cut the award into little bits and give a bit to everybody. I’ve had to lean on players and staff a bit over the last few weeks. “Livingston got promoted through old-fashioned hard work and togetherness and they still have that. “They have won their last three league matches and so we certainly won’t underestimate them.” Meanwhile, Levein insists John Souttar backs his claim Dundee United “nearly ruined” his career. United have slammed his “derogatory” accusations but he said: “John made the point of mentioning to me in the afternoon that United put the statement out that he wholeheartedly backed up every word I said. So that tells you a story.”