The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Rovers move quickly as captain leaves
Raith boss Barry Smith has moved quickly to bolster his squad after losing his club captain Ross Callachan to Hearts yesterday, writes Neil Robertson.
The Edinburgh side had made an initial offer of cash plus a player for the Rovers midfielder but that was rejected by the Kirkcaldy side’s board.
However, the Jambos made an improved undisclosed bid which was accepted and the 23-year-old has become Tynecastle boss Craig Levein’s first signing in what is his second spell in charge.
While Smith was naturally disappointed to lose a key player such as Callachan, he has moved quickly to snap up 20-year-old Canadian winger Dario Zanatta on loan from Hearts, although that is understood to be separate from the Callachan deal.
The Stark’s Park manager is also close to signing free agent, former Celtic, Blackpool and Dunfermline midfielder John Herron who has been training with Raith for the last few weeks with the formalities expected to be completed today.
Smith said: “Obviously it is disappointing to lose a player of Ross’s calibre but I think it is credit to how the whole team has been doing that a Premiership club was so keen on one of our players.
“I have had a lot of conversations with Ross and he knew what my feelings were on him as a player and how important he was to what we want to achieve this season.
“We do not want to lose any player but a move to the Premiership and a club he supported as a boy was difficult for him to turn down.
“Ross leaving obviously frees up a wage and we are delighted to have brought Dario in from Hearts. He did well on loan at Queen’s Park last season.
“John Herron has also been training with us for about a month. We have had a close look at him and he has impressed us, so hopefully we will be signing him as well.”
While Callachan has moved to pastures new, Smith admitted there had been no interest or offers from elsewhere for in-form striker Lewis Vaughan who has scored 11 times already this season.