Washington and Clare head for Hearts exit
● Tynecastle pair poised for English moves
Conor Washington could be about to follow Sean Clare out the door at Tynecastle, with both Hearts players poised to swap the Scottish Championship for a fresh start in England’s League One.
The Northern Ireland striker is in advanced talks with newly-relegated Charlton Athletic, who are looking to bounce straight back up to the English second tier, while midfielder Clare has agreed a deal to join Oxford United, who narrowly missed out on promotion last term.
After a disappointing season at Hearts, with injuries and demotion blighting the campaign, both men are looking for a clean slate down south, while the departure of two of the higher earners will serve as a financial boost to the Gorgie side, who are looking to offload a number of players to bankroll new manager Robbie Neilson’s squad rebuild.
Clare, 23, joined Hearts early in the 2018-19 season and, in over 50 appearances, he weighed in with seven goals, including the opener in March’s 3-1 derby win over Hibernian.
The player, who still had another year left on his contract, is understood to have joined the Kassam Stadium side for a six-figure sum.
A player who had to adapt to the role of auxiliary right-back when injuries limited options in that area, he had to win over supporters who took a while to warm to him. But his performances in an unaccustomed position won round most fans and were good enough to attract the interest of several clubs before Oxford United chased him down.
Washington recently stated he was not “knocking at the door, desperate to get out”, but he accepted that changes may be afoot as Hearts found a way to adapt to life in the second tier of the Scottish game.
And with his international ambitions foremost in his mind, he said he wanted to be playing regularly at the highest level possible as he made a case for adding to his 21 caps.
A summer 2019 signing following his release by Sheffield United, the 28-yearold’s Hearts ambitions were thwarted by a hamstring injury which kept him sidelined for more than three months and limited his appearances to just 22 games. He scored four goals, including one in that memorable March win at Easter Road. He also netted a consolation effort at Celtic Park and two against Motherwell, one of them the winner in a League Cup tie.
Rumours of his big move have been circulating for almost as long as Aaron Hickey has been in the Hearts first team.
A teenager who has made a huge impact since Craig Levein gave him his debut and offered him the chance to show off his temperament and ability in back-to-back meetings with Celtic, the second in a Scottish Cup final at Hampden, the level-headed full-back has been linked with several exalted suitors from across the continent.
From the likes of Manchester City, to Bologna and Bayern Munich, several interested parties have reportedly cast an eye over the promising 18-year-old, who has refused numerous offers of a new deal at Gorgie, making it clear that his future lies elsewhere.
Yesterday, there were reports that a £1.6 million deal had been struck between the capital club and Bayern but while Hearts’ sporting director Jim Jefferies maintains those reports are premature, the reality, he says, is that the promise of a hefty sum would see him leave Tynecastle sooner rather than later.
“Hearts tried hard to talk to him about a new contract. What we don’t want is for him to just see out his contract and then leave as a free agent. We would get development money but that wouldn’t be £1.6m!
“A whole load of clubs have been watching him so we want one to make a move so that we don’t lose out. You are hoping that clubs follow through their interest and there is competition to sign him. If one of them bites the bullet and makes a bid then that might bring others out and that would be even better because that pushes the price up. If we lose him we want to hopefully get the true value for him and that then helps us improve the team.
“Robbie [Neilson, the Hearts manager] wants to bring in his own players, every manager does, but the targets depend on how much money you have to spend.”
Former Motherwell winger Elliot Frear is already training with the Gorgie side, with Neilson open about his desire to sign him ahead of next season but the Hickey money could extend his rebuilding project and allow him to be even more ambitious.
Although the Hearts squad are just a few days into preseason training, Neilson has watched enough of last season’s action to form opinions and problem areas have longsince been identified. Which is why there are already signing targets set out to address them.
Looking for a bit more mettle at the heart of his team, the Tynecastle boss has already beenmullingovertheprospect of a reunion with Dundee United midfielder Calum Butcher. The pair worked together at Tannadice but with a deal that runs until 2023 the Englishman would not be cheap.
“Like every manager who goes to a new club, Robbie will want to bring in people he knows and trusts to do a job. That’s the people a manager wants around him,” said Jefferies.
“When I left Falkirk and came to Hearts as a manager the first time, I went back for players I knew well. I brought in David Weir because I thought he was a bloody good player and I brought Stevie Fulton because I thought he could be an important player for us.
“Because he did so well with Dundee United, it’s only natural that Robbie would want to look there for people he trusts to bring him success.
“Calum Butcher, that’s a player that Robbie stands and falls by. But he has to have his own men and his own signings, as most managers do, and if Calum doesn’t want to come or we can’t afford him then he has to look elsewhere. He has other targets.”