Hearts have confirmed the signing of Conor Washington.
The Northern Irishman signs for the Jambos on a two-year deal. He was most recently part of a Sheffield United squad that achieved promotion to the Premier League.
The pressure will be on from the start though. He’s been handed the number nine shirt ahead of the new season.
Can Hearts’ new striker Washington handle the number nine shirt?
This is a statement of intent from Craig Levein. By handing him the number nine shirt, Levein has signified that he plans to use Washington on a regular basis this forthcoming season.
Will that be the case? Only time will tell with this one. Over the course of his career he averages one strike every three game when you look at his goals to minutes ratio.
He hasn’t scored for over a year at club level though. He’s an established striker in the EFL, but from 107 Championship appearances, he’s scored just 17 goals. For a striker that isn’t great, regardless of what else he brings to the table.
Washington’s League One record is slightly better but still not great. In 82 appearances he scored 26 goals.
He is a hard worker though and can cause a backline trouble with his pace and hassling. The Jambos need a goalscorer though and Washington hasn’t been prolific the last few years.
There are goals in him as his goals to minutes ratio seems to prove. Levein will hope his new number nine really excels at Tynecastle.