Mitchell in as Hearts hunt Dutch striker
Hearts have agreed a deal to sign Manchester United left-back Demetri Mitchell on loan and are in talks to bring the 6ft 4in Dutch striker Leon de Kogel to Tynecastle.
Mitchell, 20, has joined until the end of the season and is expected to make his debut against Hibs in the Scottish Cup later this month.
He will be Craig Levein’s first signing since returning as Hearts manager last August but a second could quickly follow in the shape of de Kogel.
Tynecastle officials hope to negotiate a permanent transfer for the 26-yearold, who has scored 27 goals in 68 appearances for Go Ahead Eagles.
The Dutch second division side are willing to let him leave this month for the right offer. The clubs are currently discussing a move which, if completed, would add notable firepower to the Hearts attack.
Mitchell, meanwhile, could be the player to solve Hearts’ problems at leftback. He has one senior appearance to his name after Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho gave him his debut against Crystal Palace last May.
He is almost 6ft tall with good pace and a strong left foot. Born in Manchester, he joined the United youth academy aged ten and is an
England youth internationalist at under-16, under-17, under-18 and under-20 level. He won the European Under-17 Championships with his country in 2014. Initially a left winger, he reverted to leftback last season with United’s Under-23 side.
Several English clubs declared an interest this month but, after visiting Riccarton and Tynecastle in the last few days, Mitchell opted to gain more first-team experience in Scotland. His arrival should provide Levein and the Hearts coaching staff with some comfort after constant problems in the left-back department this season.
Ashley Smith-brown joined on a season-long loan from United’s rivals, Manchester City, in July but has suffered persistent injuries. The Polish player Rafal Grzelak hasn’t adjusted to Scottish football since arriving last summer.
Hearts also hope to strike a deal for De Kogel who played previously for Utrecht before joining Go Ahead Eagles in 2015.
Following a prolific first season in Deventer, he hasn’t reached the same heights during the last 18 months. Go Ahead were relegated from the Dutch top flight last summer and he is now expected to move on.
Talks regarding De Kogel are expected to continue over the next few days whilst Hearts are in Spain on a winter training camp.
Meanwhile, former Hearts captain Perry Kitchen has agreed a transfer to LA Galaxy after the Californian side acquired the midfielder’s MLS rights from former club DC United
The 25-year-old, who joined Danish Superliga side Randers in July 2017, admitted the chance to join the Galaxy was “a good opportunity that I couldn’t pass up”.
Kitchen, who won plaudits for his performances for DC United prior to his move to Scotland, has vowed to help Galaxy get “back to winning ways” after a disappointing 2017 season that saw the side’s worst-ever finish – joint last in the MLS.
Speaking to the club website, Kitchen said: “It’s certainly a challenge.
“Bad seasons are possible, and there are times when you look at the squad and can’t understand why you’re not getting results. The important thing is to brush it off and respond. We want to go back to winning ways, and that’s what I hope we can do this year.
“I wasn’t planning on coming to MLS, but the opportunity presented itself, and after speaking to my wife, it was something that we wanted to pursue.”