WALKER BUILDING BRIDGES
He hopes to win over fans after earning second chance at Hearts
JAMIE WALKER has described the Rangers transfer saga which soured his first spell at Tynecastle in the eyes of many supporters as ‘a mess’ and, with the benefit of hindsight, accepts that neither he nor Hearts were blameless.
Nevertheless, the returning winger is adamant there was never any ill-will between himself and boss Craig Levein and insists he is ready to end his career with the capital club.
Rangers saw three separate bids for Walker kicked out in the summer of 2017, the highest being in the region of £600,000. Hearts held firm despite Levein confirming Walker was keen to leave his boyhood club.
Walker ultimately joined Wigan in a £300,000 deal in January 2018 and, despite making just nine appearances for the Latics, has no regrets about taking the leap to English football. He does, however, wish he could turn back the clock and handle his exit from Gorgie better.
‘I don’t have regrets about the departure but just the whole Rangers thing, that turned into a bit of a mess,’ acknowledged the 26-year-old forward.
‘It was tough and I think maybe the club and myself didn’t deal with that in the best way.
‘I’m thankful that is all in the past and I am looking forward to the future and doing well for Hearts. It is up to me to score goals, do well and help the team on the pitch.
‘There was a perception from people on the outside, because of the Rangers situation, that Craig (Levein) and I didn’t get on. That wasn’t the case.
‘We were both men about that and accepted that what happened, happened. I have always got on with Craig and I like him as a manager. He seems to like me as a player and can get the best out of me, so there were no
hard feelings at all between us.’ With no scores to be settled or lingering resentment, Walker did not need to think twice when Levein picked up the phone and offered to extricate him from no man’s land at the DW Stadium.
‘Because of the (knee) injury I had in January, I knew I wasn’t going to play again that season and that meant an entire season where I hadn’t played a game for Wigan,’ said Walker. ‘So it was in my mind that I was going to leave the club.
‘I didn’t know that Craig (Levein) wanted me to come back here at that time but I was keeping my options open and when Craig gave me that opportunity, I was over the moon.’
Walker is honest enough to accept some fans may still be harbouring resentment for the way he left the club, with a perception among a vocal portion of the Hearts support that he was desperate to engineer a move away from the capital and that his performances dipped as a result.
Nevertheless, his return was widely welcomed on social media and Walker has vowed to win over any remaining sceptics by recapturing the blistering form which made him one of the brightest young talents in Scottish football.
‘How do I win those fans back? With good performances,’ he said. ‘I scored a lot of goals when I was first here and I want to do that again, turn in good displays and work hard. That is what I will look to do. ‘Hopefully, I can turn around any supporters that are doubting me coming back and show them what a good player I am. ‘I’ve got such an affiliation with this club. I’ve been here since I was eight years old and if I was to end my career at Hearts now I would be really happy.’ Having watched Hearts’ campaign from afar last season, Walker (left) is determined to return the club to the upper echelons of the Premiership — while he has set his sights on silverware in his second stint at Tynecastle.
He added: ‘If I was to win a trophy for Hearts, it would make my career and be incredible for my family.
‘Also, finishing sixth for this football club is not good enough, so we need to get back up towards the top three or four and into the European places.’
Meanwhile, Hearts have been left in the dark as Arnaud Djoum edges closer to a big-money move to Saudi Arabia.
Reports emerged from the Middle East yesterday that Djoum, 30, has agreed a two-year contract with Pro League outfit Al-Raed.
Djoum is on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations ahead of Cameroon’s last-16 clash against Nigeria tomorrow, meaning no official announcement over his future is expected until the Indomitable Lions’ campaign has ended.
However, his contract with Hearts officially expired on June 30 and, as such, he is under no obligation to inform Tynecastle chiefs of his plans.