JAMBOS GET TWO WORK IN THE MARKET
HEARTS have won the fight to land Livingston’s James Penrice – and Blair Spittal will be joining him from Motherwell.
The Jambos had opened talks with left-back Penrice in January over a precontract and have now agreed a deal for him to make a switch this summer.
Penrice, 25, had strong interest from the other Premiership clubs as well as sides in England’s Championship and League One but has decided he wants to move to Gorgie.
And Steelmen winger Spittal has done so too, Record Sport understands.
Out of contract in the summer, the 28-year-old – with seven goals and nine assists this season – will join on a three-year deal.
Hearts had already done early business by tying up midfielder Yan Dhanda on a pre-contract signing from Ross County.
The news on Penrice is a blow to Livi but manager David Martindale was already resigned to losing him for free this summer.
Penrice has been at the Lions for the past three years, having made the move from Partick Thistle.
The defender will leave with Martindale’s best wishes, the gaffer knowing Penrice will be 100 per cent committed to relegationthreatened Livi until the end of the season.
It comes as Tynecastle boss Steven Naismith is set to block Australia Under23’s hopes of calling Calem Nieuwenhof up for Olympic qualifiers next month.
But he insists the midfielder should be a fully-fledged Socceroo soon anyway.
Naismith wants the 23year-old to remain behind, with a Scottish Cup semifinal against Rangers fast approaching and key games as they look to lock down third in the league.
His form has him on the radar of former Rangers star Tony Vidmar’s Olyroos, who face an Asian Cup triple-header against Jordan, Indonesia and Qatar from April 15.
Those ties double as
But Naismith reckons Hearts’ need is greater – especially with the Hampden semi-final falling on April 21.
Nieuwenhof has sat out the last two games with a hamstring injury but is due back against Kilmarnock after the break.
And asked if he would release the former Western Sydney Wanderers star next month, Naismith said: “I’m not sure.
“We’d have too many big games coming up at that point. He’s been valuable for us. I’m not sure that’s something we could sanction, really.
“We expect Calem back during the international break, which then puts him into the first game back.”
Nieuwenhof – who has seven caps for the Under23s – has become a key man in the engine room.
And his Tynecastle boss reckons he may have been close to joining Kye Rowles and Nat Atkinson in the Socceroos line-up now had he not been injured three weeks ago.
Naismith added: “He would have been in – he’ll make a squad within the season. It’s just a matter of time.”