LEVEIN HAS EYE ON LOAN STAR ADAO
Craig Levein hasn’t ruled out making Joaquim Adao’s loan stay at Hearts permanent.
The Angola international has emerged as a fans’ favourite since arriving from Sion in January, adding steel and bite to the Jambos midfield.
Adao last week admitted he would be open to a longer deal in the capital, saying: “If I have the chance to come back here then why not?”
The 25-year-old has a bigmoney contract with Swiss side Sion that runs until the summer of 2020.
However, Levein will weigh up if a swoop is feasible later this season.
The Hearts boss said: “It’s quite nice that everybody wants to stay! The deal with Joaquim involved paying part of his salary with his club and I didn’t think about anything other than bringing a good midfielder in to play for us between the window and the end of the season.
“The time for that kind of talk will be in a couple of months when I have seen him play week in week out. But I’m encouraged by his early matches.
“His character and the style of his play is what we were looking for – and he isn’t up to full speed.”