Rix hails backing of Romanov as Hearts recruit 11 during window

HEARTS have come a long way since signings were announced to a cluster of reporters in an ante room at Tynecastle. Yesterday an entire suite was required for the unveiling of five players who Graham Rix hopes will help Hearts finish the season as strongly as they started it.

The already lengthy table behind which they sat would have required the addition of another leaf had the deals that were confirmed later been concluded in time for this matinee performance. Just before the transfer window closed at midnight came news that Slovakian defender Martin Petras and Czech striker Ludek Straceny had joined the Tynecastle throng, along with 19-year-old French keeper Rais M'Bolhi, who was a free agent following a spell at Marseille and has joined on an initial six-month deal. That made it an unprecedented eight signings announced in a day, and 11 since the window opened.

Sitting at the head coach's right side in the afternoon was, perhaps, the player most likely to excite the home faithful. Mirsad Beslija has been signed from Racing Genk for a club record fee of £850,000 after weeks of negotiations. It is clear that all Hearts' manpower had not been expended on that move alone, and majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov's links with FBK Kaunas, the Lithuanian club he sponsors, have once again been utilised.

Perhaps the most curious of the moves completed yesterday is that of Portuguese defender Jose Goncalves. He left Swiss side FC Thun to join Kaunas and then was immediately loaned to Hearts on a three-and-a-half year deal. A reported figure of £500,000 has exchanged hands, though whether Hearts or FBK Kaunas paid the fee was not established yesterday. Also arriving via Kaunas were the two late on-loan captures of Sparta Prague's Petras and Viktoria Zizkov's Straceny, and Bruno Aguiar, who was freed by Benfica last year having won a championship medal with the Portuguese giants. Making up the gang of five unveiled at Tynecastle earlier in the day were Chris Hackett, the £20,000 signing from Oxford, and Finland striker Juho Makela, most recently with HJK Helsinki and a reported £300,000 capture. It brings the total spent by Hearts during the transfer window to over £2 million, and Rix's evident tiredness after long nights of negotiations was alleviated by delight at the impressive spree which includes earlier recruits Lee Johnson, Neil McCann and Nerijus Barasa.

"It's been hard work," said Rix. "The bags under my eyes are getting bigger. But now it has come to fruition I am chuffed to bits. They are all good players, no doubt. They have all signed three-and-a-half year deals so it's not just about the immediate future, but the long-term future too."

All said they had been attracted to Hearts by the possibility of Champions League football, and the ambition displayed by the club under Romanov. Rix said he'd prefer to think it was his "persuasive tongue", but acknowledged the backing of Romanov in bringing these players to the club on long-term deals.

"All these players wanted to play for us but Mr Romanov deserves a pat on the back," commented Rix. "He stuck his neck out and backed me. It's looking good for the next three to four years. We want to build a club that stays up there."

Asked about Romanov's involvement in the transfers - a routine question when Hearts make a signing these days - Rix confirmed that the identifying of the players had been a team effort. "Myself, [academy director] John Murray, [coach] Valdas [Ivanauskas], Roman [Romanov], Vladimir - it's like an MCC committee meeting." Rix added that he'd been involved in the pursuit of every player. "Now we have a real squad. We probably have 20 players who are champing at the bit and can all go in and do a great job for me. For a coach, although it gives you a headache, it's a great situation to have."

• Heerenveen have signed former Hearts striker Mark de Vries on loan from Leicester for the rest of the season.

Taken from the Scotsman