Keeper’s call-up is awkward for Levein
CRAIG LEVEIN was delighted to see his outstanding goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin rewarded for a record-breaking season with a maiden Scotland call-up this week. But he fears international recognition may prove a double-edged sword as it will likely rubber-stamp the 30-year-old’s summer departure from Tynecastle.
Edinburgh-born McLaughlin was an assured presence as Hearts went eight straight games without conceding this season; a feat never managed before in the club’s 144-year history. Little-known in his native land on his arrival in Edinburgh last summer, that stunning form saw Alex McLeish name him in the squad to face Costa Rica and Hungary this month.
But Levein believes the cost of his keeper’s remarkable rise is that McLaughlin will be part of a Tynecastle exodus in May.
‘It’s been a good season for Jon,’ said the former Scotland boss.
‘His remit was to bring a calmness to the Hearts team and to use his experience to help us. He’s done both exceedingly well. In fact, he’s done even better than that. Jon getting into the Scotland squad was not something we discussed last summer.
‘I am pleased for him to be involved and, hopefully, he will get a Scotland cap because he is a lovely guy. But that makes it more likely that other teams will be attracted to him.
‘I’ve made the argument that Hearts helped him win international recognition with Scotland.
‘But Jon is over 30 now and he has to think about his family and financial security.
‘If there are teams out there who can pay three or four times what we can afford to pay, what would you do in your career? What would I do? I hope he stays, but I don’t know.’
Levein wants McLaughlin’s future decided sooner rather than later.
And should the former Bradford and Burton Albion man leave, the Hearts boss is keen on Scotland keeper Allan McGregor and Celtic’s Old Firm star Scott Bain — who is also coveted by Parkhead boss Brendan Rodgers and Hibs manager Neil Lennon.
‘They (Bain and McGregor) are (good) goalkeepers,’ said Levein. ‘You know Jon’s situation, so there are going to be other things that come in to fill that void. ‘Jon says he would like to stay but he has to look at his options. ‘The bottom line is I’ve told Jon I want to keep him and I’ve told him what we can afford. ‘I can’t wait to see what Jon’s options are right through the summer and then in August find out he’s going because he’s getting a contract three times what we can pay. Then I’d be left thinking: “Why did you do that to me, Jon?”. It has been a difficult season for Hearts after Ian Cathro was sacked on the eve of the new league campaign. The club then had to play home matches at Murrayfield while the new main stand at Tynecastle was redeveloped. It has been up and down under Levein. But as he further aims to mould a team in his own image, he is preparing for up to ten new arrivals in Gorgie this summer. ‘Everywhere I’ve been in my career I’ve had to ship loads of players out,’ he said. ‘It’s important to understand that there’s a way I want my team to play. And, at this moment in time, we don’t have everything I need to do that. ‘We need to get to that point. We need to get the core of the team right. If we do that and then we start adding things, it will become much easier. ‘I was really pleased with our recruitment in January but there will be a shuffle again in the summer because what Ian (Cathro) and I wanted to do are completely different things. ‘I’d rather do an overhaul over two windows than four because I want to get to the point where we have a secure base to build on. ‘We also have other loan situations, which I would look to. I would like to keep Joaquim Adao, Demi Mitchell and Steven Naismith but it may not be possible. ‘But there will be quite significant changes this summer. There has to be. I can’t do what I want to do with what I have just now. ‘We need to get a core in the team that plays every week. ‘Then we can add what I think we need to be successful in this league.’