Football Season Guide

Hearts are in the midst of a revolution, with Brighton owner Tony Bloom having taken a significant stake in the club. Under Bloom’s guidance, the Seagulls have flourished in the Premier League while Union SG made a run to become shock Belgian champions. Expectations are, therefore, high. Derek McInnes has come in to be the figurehead of the team but is not necessarily someone you’d expect to take over a club with such a data-driven model. He is likely a bridge manager until Bloom can bring in someone a closer match to his philosophy, but this may be months or even years down the road. It is a case of gradual evolution. What is apparent is that Hearts will surely have a better season than they did last time out, when they threatened to get dragged into the relegation zone after a confused season both on and off the field. The signs are already positive, with the Jambos winning four from four in the League Cup and scoring four goals in every game. Their squad is far deeper than many of their rivals, with several players vying to start in every position. With no European football, competition will be particularly intense given the game opportunities will be somewhat limited. This is especially the case in attack, where Elton Kabangu arrived on a full-time basis and Claudio Braga has moved in to join Lawrence Shankland and James Wilson as centre-forward options. It is in the wide areas where Hearts really need to improve, particularly after losing flying left-back James Penrice to AEK Athens. They lacked pace in these positions last season and will hope this is brought by Alexandros Kyziridis and Sabah Kerjota. Things might take some time to settle down in midfield and defence due to the sheer number of options that Hearts have, but if McInnes can get it right in these areas, they have more than enough to put together a solid core.