Hearts are working on strengthening their underperforming squad as they bid to climb the table. As part of that, players will likely leave.
Kye Rowles was yesterday sold to DC United for around £600,000, with Hearts fans questioning why the fee was so low.
Liam Boyce had already exited for Derry City as the experienced forward headed back to Northern Ireland for the twilight of his career.
In terms of incomings, the Jambos have so far added forward Elton Kabangu on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise and centre-back Jamie McCart, who heads back to Scotland after spells at Rotherham, Leyton Orient and Barnsley.
Hearts are now close to adding Austrian defender Michael Steinwender and remain in talks with Kazakh winger Islam Chesnokov as first revealed by Not the Old Firm.
They remain interested in Kilmarnock’s Danny Armstrong, with Killie rejecting an offer from an unnamed overseas club.
Critchley wants to keep Devlin at Hearts
There is also interest in Hearts players, including Cammy Devlin who has been one of the star performers under Critchley.
Devlin reportedly has a £280,000 release clause in his Hearts contract, with Portsmouth and New York City interested in triggering it.
Critchley hit out at the ‘unacceptable’ leaking of this contract information, which he claimed was inaccurate anyway.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 8 |  ST MirrenST Mirren | 23 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 27 | 38 | -11 | 27 |
| 9 |  KilmarnockKilmarnock | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 25 | 37 | -12 | 25 |
| 10 |  Ross CountyRoss County | 23 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 23 | 42 | -19 | 25 |
| 11 |  Heart Of MidlothianHeart Of Midlothian | 23 | 6 | 6 | 11 | 25 | 31 | -6 | 24 |
| 12 |  ST JohnstoneST Johnstone | 23 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 25 | 47 | -22 | 15 |
The Aussie has been back to his best in recent weeks and months and the manager has categorised him as one of his best players, one he wants to continue to work with.
He said: “With the game schedule and what we’ve been playing, I’ve just been focusing on the next game.
“I can only repeat, Cam’s been fantastic for us. He’s been a top performer.
“I know he’s done really well here in his time here and you want to try and keep and retain your best players.”
Shankland back soon and attacking options
Critchley has been without striker Lawrence Shankland for most of this month and says he is not “too far away” from being available again.
He discussed his attacking options after the addition of Kabangu, explaining: “With Boyce going, I think he’s led the line really well.
“He was different but if Elton’s in the team, then that’s my responsibility and his staff’s responsibility to coach the team differently to get the best out of the players. You can’t keep playing the same way because the characteristics of the players are different.
“That’s where the time on the training pitch will be invaluable because if it is James [Wilson] and Kenny [Vargas] up front, if it is Elton and James, Elton and Shanks, it’s slightly different. Therefore, you have to play slightly different and what you’re asking the players to do is slightly different.
“You have to build that through the work that you do on the training pitch. It becomes a collective understanding of the expectation of everyone, the role and responsibility within the team. It’s not just one-way, one-size-fits-all. You have to adapt to the players that are in the team.”