Jamie McCart has revealed his reasons behind joining Hearts on a four-and-a-half year deal.
The former St Johnstone defender was confirmed as a new Jambo earlier this evening as Neil Critchley landed his new man.
We at Not the Old Firm had told you McCart was on Hearts’ radar and then that an agreement had been made.
And the former Rotherham centre-half has explained why he opted to make the switch to Tynecastle following a quick-moving deal.
We exclusively revealed this morning on NTOF that Kye Rowles would leave for DC United on a £600k move and now McCart is his replacement.
And he told the club’s website: “I’m over the moon.
“I think when I first heard of the interest from Hearts, I was obviously eager to hear what the manager and the club had to say, and then as soon as I spoke to them, it was an absolute no-brainer.
Hearts spent £70k on Jamie McCart’s permanent move
“The size of the club, the stature of it and the ambitions of it, it just made it such an easy decision for me.
“You speak to anyone in Scotland, and even when you speak to people down south, they understand how big a club Hearts is. The support, the fanbase, it’s incredible.
“I don’t think I’ve had too many positive results against Hearts. I think I scored my only St Johnstone goal in the Premiership against Hearts, but Tynecastle was my favourite stadium to play at in Scotland.
“I think a lot of players would say that. It’s an incredible atmosphere. The fans are right on you, and it’s a brilliant place to play your football, so it’s a privilege to sign for Hearts.”
McCart also revealed it was a chat with Critchley which sold him on the move.
McCart explained what sold him on his move to Hearts
“All you want really is the confidence of your manager, but I need to come in and show that I can perform at the highest level for Hearts, and that’s something I’m really confident I can do, and I’m really excited about starting,” he added.
“It’s just getting in there and meeting all the squad and the staff, and hopefully impressing in training to get a start.
“But I think for everyone at the club, it’ll just be focusing on the next game, putting in good performances, which I think, watching the team in the past few weeks and months, they have been very unfortunate with results.
“So, I think that’s just got to be the short-term, is looking game-to-game and doing the best we can.”