Heart of Midlothian

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Brentford head of individual player development Steven Pressley has left the club.

The former Scotland and Hearts defender joined the Bees in 2021 and has played a role in progressing several players from the B team to Thomas Frank's squad, including Yehor Yarmoliuk, Ryan Trevitt and Paris Maghoma.

"After careful consideration, I've decided it's time for a new challenge in my career," Pressley said, external.

"I leave the club having formed some great friendships, great memories, and also being appreciative of the opportunity to work with some highly-skilled people, which has allowed me to learn and grow as a person."

Director of football Phil Giles added: ""As well as developing some of our best young players and having a meaningful impact on first-team performances in the Premier League, he's been a top professional and a pleasure to get to know as a person.

"On behalf of everyone at Brentford, I wish him well."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Following a promising second half of the season, Hearts have decided to make Elton Kabangu's loan stay from Union Saint-Gilloise a permanent one.

The Belgian striker was one of the first new faces in the Tynecastle club's data-driven Jamestown Analytics era, finishing the season as second top scorer with eight goals in all competitions.

That is pretty good going given the forward only signed in January and played just 18 games, but what makes his goals tally more impressive is the fact none of them came from the penalty spot.

When you compare that to forwards who have played at least 10 Scottish Premiership games this season, Kabangu's non-penalty-goals average of 0.54 per 90 ranks him in the league's top 10.

Meanwhile, the striker sits ninth for his expected goals tally of 0.5 per 90, and his shot (21%) and big chance (56%) conversion rates also place him high in the Premiership forward rankings.

When you narrow that search down to just Hearts players on a per-90 basis, Kabangu sits top for goals, expected goals and shots on target.

A goals-per-90 average of 0.54 over a 38-game season would accumulate a very healthy return of 19, so now the challenge for the 27-year-old is maintaining that form over the course of an entire campaign under new boss Derek McInnes.

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Hearts have been drawn alongside Dunfermline, Hamilton, Dumbarton and Stirling Albion in Group E of the 2025-26 Premier Sports Cup.

The tournament will mark Derek McInnes' first game in charge of the Tynecastle club, with the opening fixture on 12-13 July and further matchdays on 15-16 July, 19-20 July, 22-23 July and 26-27 July.

The eight group winners and three best runners-up will join Scotland's five European entrants - Celtic, Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibernian and Dundee United - in the last 16 on the weekend of 16-17 August.

Hearts were beaten by Falkirk in the second round last season and last lifted the trophy in 1962.

Former Heart of Midlothian head coach Robbie Neilson, who has been out of work since being sacked by Tampa Bay Rowdies earlier this year, is willing to explore any opportunities to return to management. (PLZ Soccer)

Neilson says he has missed the intensity of Scottish football and is interested in the vacancies at Dundee, Motherwell and Partick Thistle. (Scottish Sun)

Hearts have held initial talks after expressing an interest in German midfielder Soufian El-Faouzi, the 22-year-old who has a year left of his contract with Bundesliga 3 club Alemannia Aachen. (Daily Record)

Hearts are on the verge of finalising a transfer deal with Tobol for Kazakhstan winger Islam Chesnokov, according to the 25-year-old's agent. (Hearts Standard)

Read the rest of Wednesday's gossip.

We asked for your views on 42-year-old goalkeeper Craig Gordon signing a contract extension to stay at Hearts for another season.

Here's what some of you said:

Norrie: Great that he is staying. Craig will fight for his place like the other goalkeepers, up to the boss who plays.

Chris: Gordon is still one of the best keepers in the league. Those who want to see him dropped or gone - be careful what you wish for!

Kevin: No one can deny Gordon is a Hearts legend but his ship has sailed. The year before, Zander Clark had 15/16 clean sheets. Gordon's is still a great keeper but should now be a number two or play number one elsewhere.

Kyle: It's great to keep such an experienced keeper at the club but I feel he needs to step back to being the back-up keeper and sharing his knowledge with the younger ones and allow Hearts to get a new long-term number one established.

Jim: Delighted to hear that Gordon's contract has been extended for at least another season. Every so often in UK football an outstanding individual comes to the fore and in goalkeeping terms Gordon is in that outstanding category, alongside keepers like Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton, Jim Leighton, Pat Jennings etc, but if it wasn't for injury his career would have been even more illustrious. His reflexes seem as sharp as ever and over this season he has won us as many points through outstanding saves as any outfield player. A very good piece of football business.

Ian: I would have preferred keeping Clark as number one and bringing back either Harry Stone or Liam McFarlane from their loan deals to sit on the bench. These goalkeepers need to get game-time for Hearts not lower-league clubs. I would have given Gordon a goalkeeping coach's job but he probably wants to keep on playing.

Alistair: Yes, certainly, with Clark carrying an injury, who is better? When all are fit it should be a fair fight for the place this year though.

Steve: Sad in some ways, a club legend, but certainly on the wane. Surely he can only be the back-up keeper. Time to get one of the young goalkeepers into the first-team squad instead of being out on loan. Thanks so much Craig for your services to the club.

Peter: We are right to offer Craig a one-year contract. I would like him to be number two and let Clark resume as the number one. It would be good to use Craig as a goalkeeping coach aswell, then retain him as coach and ambassador after the one year is up.

David: Mixed thoughts for me. Gordon has been magnificent for us but presumably he will still expect to be number one next season. Clark is an excellent keeper and will he be happy to have a second season on the bench? I also question what will happen to our young keepers who have excelled while out on loan. At what stage do they become part of the senior set-up?

Moon: His achievements for clubs and country makes this a brilliant deal for the Jambos. Glad he's staying, now let's hope Lawrence Shankland does the same.

Fergus: Craig is a legend but we do not have a suitable replacement at all. I was never convinced with Clark and it appears to be proven, are we gonna end up in this scenario again next year? Derek McInnes should be looking at bringing in a new number one and have Craig as back-up or coach.

Brian: Instead of a playing deal why didn't Hearts offer him a coaching role? He's been a great keeper over the years but it's time to hand over to Clark and Ryan Fulton. Gordon hasn't been as good this season and shouldn't be getting another year as a player.

New Heart of Midlothian head coach Derek McInnes insists claims he likes to have total control of a club are simply not true and is happy to work with Jamestown Analytics in pinpointing new signings. (Herald - subscription required), external

Read Saturday's Scottish gossip

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Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is staying at Hearts for another season, at least.

The 42-year-old has signed a one-year extension with Derek McInnes' side.

Gordon has made over 300 appearances for the Tynecastle club across two spells and was number one in the season just ended.

Is it the right move to extend Hears legend Gordon's stay? And should he retain his spot as first choice under the new head coach?

Tell us your thoughts

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Now the final whistle has blown on a calamitous campaign for Hearts, the focus has to be on ensuring there is no repeat of those mistakes next season.

It all started brightly with an excellent performance, but no win, against Rangers on the opening day.

But as soon as the following weekend - and the shocking first-half performance at Dens Park - it became evident this season would be far from plain sailing.

That was followed up by a League Cup exit to Falkirk amid a run of eight straight losses to led to Steven Naismith being shown the door.

Neil Critchley made a promising start with wins over St Mirren and Omonia Nicosia in the Conference League. The future looked bright, but the wheels came off again soon after.

One win in nine followed along with an exit from Europe after failure to dispose of Moldovans Petrocub at Tynecastle.

And after stumbling to the split with one win in five, a bottom-six finish plus defeat in the Scottish Cup semi-final to Aberdeen meant Critchley's time was up.

Lessons have to be learned from the mistakes made, not just this season but over the past two or three years.

In Derek McInnes, Hearts now have a man who knows the league inside out and, probably more importantly, knows what Hearts are all about having come up against them on many occasions.

He looked genuinely excited at the prospect of working with Jamestown Analytics. And despite many cynics still trying to figure out how it works, McInnes says he plans to use the tool to its fullest, with the first evidence the pre-contract signing of Greek winger Alexandros Kyziridis.

This summer at Tynecastle will be fascinating and with new investment on the horizon from Tony Bloom, the expectation from fans will be even greater.

Elton Kabangu "is going on holiday" as Hearts and parent club Union Saint-Gilloise figure out where the forward's future lies after the 27-year-old spent the second half of the 2024-25 season on loan at Tynecastle. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

Hearts chief executive Andrew McKinlay has admitted the Edinburgh club "got it wrong" when appointing Neil Critchley as head coach and has revealed that a new contract offer has been made to 29-year-old striker Lawrence Shankland. (Sky Sports), external

Hearts sporting director Graeme Jones says contract discussions with Lawrence Shankland will have a cut-off point but says they are ongoing and he is still hopeful they will be able to retain the club captain. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Hearts are close to signing Alexandros Kyziridis, the 24-year-old Greek winger who is out of contract this summer with Zemplin Michalovce, hope to agree a deal for 25-year-old Kazakhstan forward Islam Chesnokov before his contract with Tobol ends in October, while Belgian striker Elton Kabangu's loan move from Union Saint-Gilloise is set to be made permanent for a fee in the region of £250,000. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Sporting director Graeme Jones says he and Derek McInnes will add the "human" element of decision making over new signings to make sure any players earmarked by the Jamestown Analytics talent scouting system fit the new head coach's style of play. (Daily Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Jamestown Analytics backed Hearts' decision to identify Derek McInnes as their top target to become the club's new head coach, sporting director Graeme Jones has confirmed.

When Neil Critchley was appointed in mid-October, chief executive Andrew McKinlay was keen to emphasise that "the analytics only guide us".

That was also the case for recruiting a replacement for Critchley, who was sacked just six months after his appointment.

"We looked at coaches within Scotland and also outside Scotland," Jones said. "It became clear as the process went on that Derek was the right man for us."

CEO McKinlay referenced that Critchley was "the preferred candidate from an analytics perspective" back in October.

When asked if McInnes was the number one choice by Jamestown Analytics, Jones replied: "They don't really provide information like that. They provide a very neutral output to help inform the decision.

"He was my number one pick and Jamestown Analytics supported my reasoning, but they don't really rank it in that fashion.

"His experience within Scotland is very important. He's able to deal with the intensity of the Scottish game.

"He has real first-hand experience of the expectations of what our fanbase want. Combining that with the fact he's a very good coach and a proven leader, everything really matched up."

Jones joined Hearts at the end of last year from the Scottish FA, just at the time the club were announcing Critchley as head coach.

He says looking back the appointment of the former Blackpool boss proved to be the wrong one.

"Hindsight's a wonderful thing and the decision was made back then to look for candidates outside Scotland," Jones explained.

"That's the decision that was made and it didn't prove to be the correct decision."

We asked for your views on what Derek McInnes' priorities should be as new Hearts head coach.

Here's what some of you said:

Jarrod: Too often recently Hearts have gone for the cheap option with recruitment. McInnes has a track record of developing players so we should back his judgement and go all out to bring in his targets. If he wants a few Ferraris, let him have them.

Dave: First thing is to create a Hearts identity and team mentality. Then get back to footballing basics with players who will buy into that. Keep it simple and direct. Previous coaches seemed to over-coach players who in turn lost their own initiative to mix things up during the game. You have to play within a structure but don't stifle your own players' reading of situations as they develop on the field. All easier said than done.

Donald: We need to build a spine to the team that is as strong as the old castle rock. A commanding centre-half needs brought in that we haven't seen since the Steven Pressley days. A proven goalscorer too, whether that is Lawrence Shankland putting the fresh ink on a new contract, or if we can unearth a superstar using the Jamestown Analytics.

Marc: Firstly, I think the appointment of McInnes is the best option for Hearts. McInnes has proven over the years to be a successful manager, wherever he has been. Apart from keeping Shankland, whose goals of the last three years are irreplaceable, he needs to make Hearts strong defensively again. Building a solid foundation, making us hard to beat and not get bullied, which we have the past few years. Then adding pace in wide areas, like he had at Aberdeen, playing with tricky, pacey, inverted wingers. Let's make Hearts hard to beat and make Tynecastle a fortress again, a place no team enjoys playing at, then hopefully we can kick on from there.

Jockie: McInnes not my choice of a Hearts manager, but we have him and I will back him and the team. Like what he said during his interview, he now needs to back that up with actions and playing a style of football Hearts fans want to see, challenge the Old Firm and of course put Hibs to the sword.

Alan: Hoping he has nerve to clear out players nearing one year left who are not playing regularly or trying hard enough for me and every other Jambo. I'd like to see a third-place finish next year if possible and good effort at all times from all.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

If there were any Jambos sceptical about the appointment of Derek McInnes as head coach, his first press conference would have changed the opinion of the biggest cynic in Gorgie.

The fact McInnes spoke with real excitement when he said the Hearts job was one he always wanted, and described his aim to excite the fans like Jim Jefferies, George Burley and early Craig Levein's teams, certainly got me buying into his vision.

The fact he wants to make Tynecastle an uncomfortable place for opposition also earns him backing from everyone of a maroon persuasion as he rightly pointed out the mood in EH11 has been sanitised for a long time.

McInnes is at Hearts because he wants to win silverware, have us playing in Europe and pushing up the top of the table. He's not making bold promises publicly about splitting the Old Firm or making jibes about Hibs or former side Aberdeen, but you know that internally he'll be desperate for wins against those four sides the most.

Although his job title is not manager, you feel the players will be left in no doubt who is in charge and that he won't be afraid to make difficult decisions.

One of McInnes' first tasks will be to resolve the future of captains Craig Gordon and Lawrence Shankland, who are both out of contract. It might sound mad to some, but I am more confident in Shankland lining up for Hearts after the summer than club legend Gordon.

There's reports of interest from China in Shankland but given he has a young family, I'm not sure he'd be keen to go there. I can't see him suiting the physicality of the English Championship and I don't imagine he'll have a better offer from anyone in Scotland than Hearts.

He might get a lifestyle move to somewhere like the MLS or Australia, but I think McInnes will convince Shankland and the club to come to a deal that works for both.

In terms of Gordon, I love the man. That said, he has regressed massively compared to a couple of years ago. He doesn't take charge of his penalty area like he used to and there have been a number of goals conceded because of his indecision over whether to come for a ball.

Given that McInnes already has another Scotland international on his books in Zander Clark and a sound deputy in Ryan Fulton, he may wish to make a decision he feels is necessary in removing any distraction prior to the new season.

Should there be a mutual parting of the ways? There's already been no sentimentality shown in the decision to move on 'big Jambo' Liam Fox after his latest stint as interim head coach. I have a feeling Gordon may also be set for the exit.

Whatever happens, I just hope McInnes is backed and trusted to make the right decisions for the greater good of Hearts.

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New Hearts head coach Derek McInnes indicated he would quickly address the situation with captain Lawrence Shankland and goalkeeper Craig Gordon, both of whom are out of contract this summer, saying "these conversations will be had".

Shankland's goalscoring form dipped this term, scoring nine times after netting on 31 occasions the previous campaign.

And 42-year-old Scotland keeper Gordon made 46 appearances for the Tynecastle side this season after being reinstated as first choice.

"Lawrence, I know him more than Craig, but both are capable players and have proven they're good players here," said McInnes, who managed Shankland during his time at Aberdeen.

"I just want to work with good players. Clearly, there's work needing done. There's a lot of good players here and we need to find a better way of working.

"Hopefully, when the window closes, the squad will be more rounded, maybe a bit more balanced and a bit more what I would want it to be for the challenges ahead."

Meanwhile, McInnes believes the relationship with Jamestown Analytics, who Hearts have been working with for their recruitment, can give the club an "added advantage".

Head coach Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media on the day his Hearts appointment was confirmed.

Here are the key lines:

• McInnes says the process of becoming Hearts boss was "problematic", but he's "absolutely delighted" to be confirmed as head coach.

• He indicated he would quickly address the situation with captain Lawrence Shankland and goalkeeper Craig Gordon, both of whom are out of contract this summer, saying "these conversations will be had".

• The former Aberdeen boss says the Hearts job is "everything I wanted" at this stage of his career.

• "I've always felt this is a club I've wanted to manage," he adds. "They can match my ambition and hopefully I can give them what they want".

• McInnes says the intention is to "deliver silverware and sustained success on the pitch" and aims to make Hearts the "biggest animal we can be".

• He wants to "deliver what's expected" then go on to "exceed those expectations".

• On the assistance of Jamestown Analytics in player recruitment, McInnes says "they'll help me build the squad - I'll build the team".

• He feels "too many teams enjoy" going to Tynecastle. "I'd like it to be the opposite," he adds.

Hearts fans, the news you have all been expecting has finally been confirmed.

Derek McInnes is your team's new boss following his exit from Kilmarnock and he will be joined by first-team coaches Paul Sheerin and Alan Archibald.

After a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, what should McInnes' priorities be to get Hearts challenging at the right end of the table next term?

Send us your thoughts