Hearts come first for Kari

BARRY ANDERSON
HEARTS defender Christos Karipidis is refusing to enter pre-contract negotiations with interested clubs until his present Hearts deal expires, insisting he wants to lead the club into Europe before considering his future.
Karipidis becomes a free agent this summer and is legally entitled to speak to other clubs during the final six months of his contract. However, the Greek defender has employed his agent as a buffer to ensure his focus is not compromised during the final months of the season.

Hearts are currently joint third in the SPL ahead of this weekend's visit of fifth-placed Aberdeen. Karipidis' primary aim is to help the Edinburgh club qualify for the newly-branded UEFA Europa League, which requires a third or fourth-place finish, and only in the summer will he entertain talks with potential new employers.

"I spoke with my agent about the situation and I told him I don't want to talk to any other teams," said the 26-year-old. "If someone wants to make contact and talk with him, that's okay. But I don't want to have conversations with clubs. It is too early for me to speak now.

"I will let him talk and then he can speak to me. I said to him I will not talk to anyone until summer. I want to finish here first. I play for Hearts, I respect the club, so I want to finish the games and then we can see what happens with my future.

"I have four months more, I want to continue to play good football and to win something with Hearts. I am not thinking about this too much at this time. I try to concentrate on things here because, if I think about my contract and staying or going, it gets complicated for me. At this moment I don't want to use my mind up thinking about my contract.

"I have four months more, I want to win something here and do something good, maybe help the team into Europe. If that happens and I leave, I will be very happy because I will have done something good for the club in my last season."

Meanwhile, Adrian Mrowiec is looking forward to getting back out on the pitch so that he can link up with some of his fellow Poles in the SPL.

Hearts midfielder Mrowiec admits that he has found it difficult to settle in and make friends because injuries have left him sidelined and he can't wait to come up against the likes of Lukasz Zaluska and Artur Boruc and said: "It's been hard for me the last few months. Everyone wants to play but it hasn't been possible for me.

"I love Edinburgh as a city but it can be hard settling in if you're not playing.

"I know there are a few of my fellow countrymen in Scotland and it would have been nice to meet up with them. Maybe if I was playing I would have had the chance to talk to them but I've not had the opportunity yet."

Taken from the Scotsman