Celtic's Premiership title rivals from last season are said to be closing in on a new manager. The Bhoys were pushed to the very limit last season, requiring a final day win over Hearts to secure the league title.
A poor start to the season played a part in that struggle, but credit where it is due, Hearts were excellent for much of the season and few could have argued against them being worthy winners had they managed to see it out.
Hearts close in on new boss
Hearts lost the league title in heartbreaking fashion, and that heartbreak was followed by the loss of star striker Lawrence Shankland and manager Derek McInnes, who both joined Rangers just a few weeks apart.
It was a huge blow for Hearts, even if they saw the first of the two exits coming, but such is the sport of football, and Hearts need to get their ducks in a line if they want remain one of the best teams in the country.
According to BBC Sport, the Edinburgh team are indeed now close to making an appointment, with now former Sint-Truiden boss Wouter Vrancken expected to be appointed. Vrancken led his hometown club to a hugely impressive third-place finish and won Belgian football's manager of the season. It was the highest the club had finished in 60 years.
The 47-year-old left the club at the end of the season, likely feeling as though he had done all he could at that stage, and he is now expected to make the move to Hearts, where he will be hoping to achieve at least a top three finish.
Hearts will likely now go through a transitional season given the loss of their star striker and their manager, but they will still be hoping to be among the top three.
As quoted by The Sun, former Sint-Truiden coach Frederic De Meyer said of Vrancken: “Wouter brought great success to this club and it was a pleasure to work with him.
“As head coach, he was always very open with the staff and he let us know he had chosen to move abroad, which is his prerogative. I wanted to stay here though. He has left us with a heavy legacy.
“He is quite a quiet person during the training sessions, but once a match is underway, he bursts with endless energy. I want to continue the style of play from last season under him where we were a very attacking, entertaining team.
“I don’t want to be an exact copy of him, but I do want to repeat his success. We are all extremely grateful for what he has achieved together with us and that should not be underestimated.”
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