Hearts have a pretty poor track record when it comes to loanees coming in from the English leagues. When Connor Randall was brought to the club by Ian Cathro, Jambos were wondering if he’d be an exception.
Now on the verge of a release from Liverpool according to the Liverpool Echo, their answer was a resounding no.
Randall isn’t the only reject
In attacking areas, the Jambos have failed to loan anybody of a sufficient quality from England with the exception of Steven Naismith. Michael Ngoo was a Liverpool flop and Paul McCallum couldn’t find the net in maroon. Tony Watt scored once when he arrived from Charlton.
Defensively, Ashley Smith-Brown has more fingers on one hand than Hearts appearances, seemingly forever injured. Demetri Mitchell was an outstanding performer last season but failed to replicate that this campaign. And the less said about winger Choulay’s arrival from Stoke City the better.
Deployed as a defender
When Hearts announced the signing of Randall, they initially had the player listed as a midfielder. In reality, he was shipped out to right-back whenever the trusty Michael Smith was unavailable. The Jambos were the second of three loan spells, sandwiching both Shrewsbury Town and Rochdale.
Whilst some may criticise the Scottish game, it’s certainly trickier to make it at Hearts than either Shrewsbury or Rochdale. And the Scottish Premiership, to many, is of a better standard then either League One or Two south of the border.
For a young player reading this, there’s always hope. If Connor Randall was scouted by one of the biggest clubs in world football, you can make it as a professional. It seems the Jambos are better going abroad for loanees like David Milinkovic, Genero Zeefuik and most notoriously Rudi Skacel to name but a few.