Heart of Midlothian

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Record signing Ageu says advice from Claudio Braga was key to his move to Hearts.

The 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder has become the Tynecastle club's record buy with a move from Portuguese side Santa Clara on a four-year deal.

Portuguese forward Braga joined Derek McInnes' side this summer and has already become a fans' favourite.

Ageu told Hearts TV: "I'm very happy to be here and I'm so excited for the new opportunity in Scotland so I can be my best on the pitch.

"Claudio is an amazing guy, I spoke with him two weeks before coming here. He helped me so much.

"He told me that league is so intense and aggressive. I like this mood. I am very happy and I hope that it will be an amazing season.

"I love the fans and their passion, for me it was the big point. It's amazing, the stadium is incredible, I can't wait."

Ageu impressed on loan at Alverca in Portugal's second tier last season, with seven goals and four assists, and aims to replicate that form at Tynecastle.

"I play box-to-box, I like attacking and defending and I like helping the team, I'm very excited to play," he added.

"Last season was very important to me, so I want to be able to repeat that scoring and the assists here."

We asked for your views after Hearts broke their transfer record to sign Brazlian midfielder Ageu.

Here are some of your comments:

Ross: A real statement of intent from Hearts and exactly what was needed - a creative midfielder who can make chances for Shankland and also chip in with a few goals themselves. All that's needed now before the deadline is a solid goalkeeper.

Colin: Another foreign player. I'm sure he's an excellent player but it concerns me that we have to keep going overseas for players. What's happening to all the kids that play football in Scotland that few seem to come through the ranks, with obvious exceptions?

Brian: Is this guy actually any good or is this purely a stats-driven purchase? Can he give us more than we've already got? Time will tell, but I'll enjoy the beat of the samba drums at the Edinburgh Maracana while it lasts.

Alfo: This is the acid test for Jamestown Analytics acquisitions. Paying the best part of £1m for a young player on a four-year deal should really show how effective our buy-develop-sell model can be, but more importantly so looking forward to what Ageu can do on the park this year. If he is the playmaker we've been waiting for, he'll add guile and creativity to the skill, energy and fight we've already demonstrated, and could be the catalyst for a really good season. So exciting on so many levels.

Ken: The more cynical among us would say anyone would be better for Hearts than Mirsad Beslija was! We'll have to wait and see if breaking the record was worth it though.

Kevo: I don't get hung up on fees, time will tell. If he succeeds as Claudio Braga has, it would be a massive uplift in that area of the pitch.

Chris: Do we need another midfielder to add to the 14 we have? Time will tell, but the pressing need is a quality goalkeeper and a right-back. We are not in Europe, we need to drop at least six fringe players or we are on course to make a record loss this season.

Steve: This could be promising as for years we've lacked pace and creativity in midfield. It appears Ageu has both. Oisin McEntee provides midfield protection, hoping they'll work well together. Cameron Devlin, Beni Baningime and Blair Spittal are too slow. Stephen Kingsley at right-back and we're looking pretty solid. The future is maroon.

Scott: It's exciting to see the likes of Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen all shelling out comparatively big fees for players. Of course, it's potentially a bigger risk for these clubs than it is for the Old Firm, but it's definitely a statement of intent. I'm all for the high risk, high reward strategy to at least try and get closer to the Glasgow pair. Plus, who doesn't want a bit of Brazilian flair lighting up the Scottish Premiership?!

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It's early days in Derek McInnes' Hearts tenure, but a chance to go top of the table this weekend has Gorgie buzzing.

Hearts make the short trip to Livingston on Saturday - with a 5,000-strong travelling support- and defender Stuart Findlay hopes they can banish their Premier Sports Cup disappointment by, temporarily at least, going top of the pile.

After a fast start, Hearts were left frustrated by a cup exit against St Mirren a fortnight ago and then a 3-3 draw at home to Motherwell.

"You get the disappointing result to go out the cup, and then being 3-0 down against Motherwell, it maybe paints a picture that things haven't been great the last couple of weeks," Findlay said.

"But when you look at the bigger picture, I think we've started the season really, really well.

"To be sitting where we are, with a chance to beat Livingston and go top of the league until the Old Firm game a day later, I think it's a good position to be in.

"When you look at where we were after 60 minutes last week, to then get out of the game with a point, the first thing I said in the changing room was 'if we win next week, this turns into a much bigger point. It turns out to be a very, very good point'.

"To be sitting on 10 points after four games would be absolutely magic. We know there's going to be a massive Hearts support going through. It's incredible, the tickets that they've sold.

"There's not many teams in the league that would be able to do that. I think it's going to create an absolutely incredible atmosphere for us as an away team, to probably have more fans than the home team. It's something that I've probably never experienced myself."

Findlay won his only Scotland cap to date in 2019 but has been tipped for a potential recall after a strong start to his time at Tynecastle.

"I think until a player retires, it's always an aspiration to play international football," he added. "I've had a taste of it in the past, it's a long time ago now.

"Of course it'd be nice to be in it but for me, the most important thing is making sure I play well for Hearts, play well for the manager who's had the faith to bring me here. That's my bread and butter just now. Anything that comes off the back of that would be a bonus."

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Hearts have signed Brazilian midfielder Ageu in a club record deal.

The 23-year-old has agreed a four-year contract to join from Portuguese club Santa Clara.

Ageu moved from Cruzeiro in his homeland to Santa Clara in 2023, helping them win promotion to the top flight, and then spent last season on loan at second-tier Alverca, scoring seven times and contributing four assists in 30 appearances.

He switches to Tynecastle for an undisclosed, reported seven-figure fee that eclipses the previous record sum of £850,00 paid for Bosnian winger Mirsad Beslija in 2006.

Are you enthused by Ageu's arrival and Hearts' Jamestown Analytics-led recruitment in general this summer? What do the club still need before Monday's deadline?

Let us know your thoughts here.

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• Livingston have won just two of their past 26 top-flight meetings with Hearts (D10 L14), a 5-0 victory in December 2018 and 1-0 in September 2022.

• Hearts won all three of their Scottish Premiership games against Livingston in 2023-24; Hearts last won more top-flight meetings with the Lions in succession in March 2006 (five).

• Livingston have won three of their past four Scottish Premiership home games (D1), including their first this season 3-1 over Falkirk. They had only won two of their previous 17 at home in the competition beforehand (D7 L8).

• Hearts have won each of their past three away league outings, their longest such run since winning five in a row in February 2024.

• Against Motherwell last time out, Hearts became the first side to come from three goals behind to avoid defeat in the Scottish Premiership since Aberdeen also drew 3-3 with Motherwell in February 2024. Claudio Braga became the first Hearts substitute to score twice in a single Premiership match since Lawrence Shankland netted a hat-trick against Celtic in October 2022.

Hearts are keen on experienced free agent German goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow and are working on a deal for Brazilian midfielder Ageu from Santa Clara. (Scottish Sun), external

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Hearts boss Derek McInnes is "working on a couple of things" as he strives to land new signings before Monday's transfer deadline.

McInnes also expects departures, with the majority of movement likely to happen after Saturday's Premiership trip to Livingston.

The Tynecastle head coach said: "We're actively working on a couple of things at the minute.

"There's a wee bit of interest in one or two of our lads as well and there's a few ongoing conversations.

"In terms of ins and outs before the weekend, I don't expect anything to be done before then. But we are actively trying to work on a couple of things that we're hoping that we can get some positive news on ahead of Monday.

"We're looking at a couple of positions. I think it's important for us to try and be as strong as we can be when the window closes. In terms of numbers, we're really strong but I've spoken often enough about the numbers being too high for us at the minute.

"If we can get a couple in that we would like, there might have to be a couple moving out. There's been conversations both ways regarding a few players."

McInnes does not expect a deal to be struck with FC Tobol to land Kazakh winger Islam Chesnokov - who has agreed a pre-contract to join in late October - before the window closes.

Zander Clark, who has reclaimed the Hearts number one spot amid Craig Gordon's injury absence, was this week recalled to Steve Clarke's Scotland squad for the first time in a year.

"I think it's a good boost for Zander," said McInnes. "He's had a couple of difficult afternoons this season, but at the same time, I think for all Scottish goalkeepers, there is a potential opportunity and a potential World Cup.

"It's a real motivation. I'm pleased for him that he's in Steve's squad. I spoke to Steve on Sunday. Obviously, Zander's a boy that's been playing regularly, so hopefully he can get some game time with Scotland."

Former Hearts player Pasquale 'The Animal' Bruno reveals how he owes his nickname to a mafia boss, adding: "I killed everybody on the pitch, not with a gun but with an elbow!"

Listen to the full episode with Bruno on the Sacked in the Morning podcast

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Scotland's goalkeeper selection is the one "mystery" going into their World Cup qualifying campaign, says Cillian Sheridan.

Steve Clarke has called up Zander Clark, Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly for next month's matches away to Denmark and Belarus.

Hearts' Clark has played six times this season, Gunn is yet to feature for new club Nottingham Forest and Kelly has played once at Rangers this term.

Republic of Ireland international Sheridan does not believe it is necessary for head coach Clarke to announce who will be his number one.

"I don't think it would be that much of an issue, maybe more if you're a centre-half or you're playing in a position that you need to have a partnership with the goalkeepers," Sheridan told the BBC's Scottish football podcast.

"The most beneficial way would be potentially the actual goalkeepers, if they all had a clear idea. But then again you can say it breeds competition within the squad if they all think there's a number one slot there available for them to compete for. It creates healthy competition.

"It's probably the one position where you don't really know what he's going to to. That's the one position where there is actually a bit of mystery over, you're never quite sure who is going to be the number one."

Football writer Gordon Waddell, meanwhile, says Clark must believe he is the frontrunner for the gloves in next month's opening double-header away to Denmark and Belarus.

"If I'm Zander Clark and I'm the only one of these three guys who's actually playing regular football and I don't get picked ahead of Angus Gunn, who's not playing, then the psychology of that's quite difficult for Clarke as well," Waddell said.

"I'm not saying he'll assume that he's going to be playing when he comes into the squad, but at the same time, he'll probably be thinking, well, if ever there's a time for me to be getting caps here, it's surely ahead of these two guys who aren't playing."

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

A look at the Premiership table shows Hearts unbeaten after three matches and sitting second, behind only Celtic.

However, at around 16:15 last Saturday at Tynecastle, the crowd began to leave in droves. Even the most poorly-received Edinburgh Fringe act would have retained a higher percentage of their audience than what remained after Motherwell made it 3-0.

In fairness, there were a number of shouts for best comedian following the first 65 minutes of action.

Derek McInnes has got a lot of flak from supporters for his starting line-up, including the decision not to start Claudio Braga, but there's some revisioning going on there.

In the Aberdeen, Dundee United and St Mirren games, Braga wasn't as effective as he was in the League Cup group matches, with those standout moments coming against lower-league opposition.

James Wilson deserved his chance but both he and Pierre Landry Kabore were hung out to dry with the tactics deployed in that first half. With McInnes instructing his full-backs, Harry Milne and makeshift right-back Michael Steinwender, to play inverted into the midfield, it left lots of space for the Steelmen to exploit.

The only surprise was that he waited until half-time to make adjustments. And even after the move to a back three we conceded another two goals in fairly quick succession after the restart.

It was telling that most of the non-British players were not trusted by McInnes in the second half, with the likes of Beni Baningime, Blair Spittal and Frankie Kent coming on while Kabore and Steinwender were taken off.

Of course, Portuguese talisman Braga was the catalyst for the fightback, and you wonder if McInnes will stick with players who 'know the Scottish game' in the short term.

Supporters are clamouring for at least two or three more signings in the final week of the window. Will a progressive central midfielder be arriving?

There are thoughts that Oisin McEntee, Baningime and Cammy Devlin all play a similar role. With Calem Nieuwenhof hampered by niggling injuries, and Blair Spittal and Sander Kartum not having the legs or track record of playing in the engine room, we could do with a new face.

It is important we go into the international break following a positive result at Livingston. It will be a battle on a plastic pitch but it is in these types of games that Jambos expect McInnes to draw upon his years of experience in the league.

Watch Sportscene pundit Steven Naismith analyse Claudio Braga's performance in Saturday's 3-3 draw against Motherwell.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Hearts did superbly to fight back from three goals down against Motherwell on Saturday.

Harry Milne has seamlessly filled the boots of the departed James Penrice and fired home a wonderful goal in the 3-3 draw at Tynecastle.

Claudio Braga might have only played the second half on Saturday but ended with six shots - more than any player has had in any full game in the Premiership this season - and two goals.

Watch highlights as Hearts come back from three down to draw with Motherwell in a Scottish Premiership epic.

We asked for your views on Hearts 3-3 draw with Motherwell.

Here's what some of you said:

Calum: A thrilling game and a great advert for Scottish football at the end of the day, but from a Hearts perspective it's slightly worrying. Wouldn't expect a Derek McInnes team to be that disjointed - he needs to play his best players and figure out our best system. Fully back him to do that, but the quicker the better!

Alfo: I was never keen on the McInnes appointment in the first place, though I'm desperately hoping he's going to prove the doubters wrong in a big way. But judging by their playing style, it looks like Motherwell have got the manager Hearts fans craved. That said, our team and manager deserve credit for retrieving the game from an impossible position, no one can fault the spirit and determination of these players.

Norrie: The spirit of Gorgie exists inside Claudio Braga, let him lead and we shall follow. The journey is revealing itself and I like what I am seeing. More was achieved in 25 second-half minutes than we dared to imagine, now is the time to believe.

Neil: I get that it's still early in the season and he's still getting to know the squad, but McInnes has to take the blame for that first-half performance. Poor selection (our three best players started on the bench), a formation our players didn't understand and no energy whatsoever. Braga and Beni Baningime got us out of jail, but that won't be possible every week if we play like that, especially against the Old Firm and Hibs.

Steve: I was excited by McInnes' appointment, but that's gone. The tactics and team selection was shocking. The first half the team played accordingly, the defence was a joke. We have three of our slowest players in midfield, Cameron Devlin, Beni Baningime and Blair Spittal. The fourth, Lawrence Shankland, did nothing but wander about aimlessly. Stephen Kingsley needs to play right-back in a back four, but we definitely need pace and guile in the midfield. Harry Milne and Braga were the only performances of note.

Richard: Our starting line-up looked odd with no Kent nor Baningime, the two who give us some control. And so it proved, Motherwell were better than us tactically and in execution, they were impressively slick while we played a more primitive kind of game. Braga with his waspish approach unsettled their central defence and gave us a chance to get something which we'd barely deserved, but until then defence, midfield, attack, all were notable only for effort and not for their contributions.

David: We've got a very new squad after an active summer and those players are going to take time to gel. The team selection and performance was unacceptable but I guess with so many new players you have to give people a chance to shine, and not many did yesterday until the last 25 minutes.

Hearts roared back from three goals down to earn a draw at home to Motherwell in a ridiculous six-goal Scottish Premiership thriller.

Does Claudio Braga have to start for you? What issues do Hearts need to resolve? How much confidence does another comeback give you?

Share your views.

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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes: "We were on the floor. We've dug deep to get an important point which keeps us unbeaten in the league.

"You don't want to be 3-0 down but when you are 3-0 down with so few minutes left you take the point.

"We could have won it in the end with one off the post and a few bobbling about the goal.

"But for long spells Motherwell were too comfortable. The first goal at Tynecastle can make the job twice as hard if you lose it, and twice as comfortable if you get it.

"It was a tough situation and the players deserve a lot of credit."

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Hearts will be without goalkeepers Ryan Fulton (groin) and Craig Gordon (shoulder), as well as Jamie McCart (ankle), Kenneth Vargas (hip), Finlay Pollock (hamstring) and Christian Borchgrevink (thigh).

Homegrown keepers Harry Stone and Liam McFarlane are vying for a place in the squad alongside Zander Clark.

Motherwell could hand a debut to Callum Hendry and welcome back Liam Gordon and Callum Slattery.

Tom Sparrow drops out and Jonny Koutroumbis remains on the sidelines along with long-term absentees Sam Nicholson, Filip Stuparevic (both knee) and Zach Robinson (Achilles).

Alfie Robinson
BBC Sport Scotland

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Italian hardman Pasquale Bruno recalls how his move to Hearts initially gave him sleepless nights - because of animal noises.

Defender Bruno, a Uefa Cup winner with Juventus, moved to Tynecastle at age 33 for a two-year stint in 1995.

"I wanted to play in England at first to learn the language, and then I got an offer to go to Hearts," he told the Sacked in the Morning podcast.

"I knew Hearts because of Joe Jordan, and I knew him because he had been in Italy playing.

"So I fly to Edinburgh and arrive Friday night, and Jim Jefferies puts me in the Holiday Inn beside the zoo. I couldn't sleep because of all the animals making noises!

"First game we win 3-0 against Partick Thistle, and Jim Jefferies said 'Pasquale, how was it, do you want to stay?' and I said yes, but I need to change hotels.

"I noticed the Caledonian and asked if I could stay there. He said that's okay.

"Caledonian became my house because I spent two years there. I said to Jim I need a place to eat, and he said Bar Roma. So for two years it was Caledonian and Bar Roma."

Bruno's personality, aggression and tenacious style of play made him a fans' favourite at Tynecastle.

His reputation left nothing to the imagination, and his combative style was soon obvious.

"My second game for Hearts was an Edinburgh derby against Hibs, I defended a long ball near the corner and a Hibs player made a strong tackle," the Italian added.

"I thought, 'Wow, in Italy nobody can touch me like that!'

"So I said 'hey you' and he said 'go away', or something similar. So anyway, after two minutes it was a yellow card for me because I 'killed' him."

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Former Dundee, Hearts and Dunfermline striker Craig Wighton has announced his immediate retirement from professional football at the age of 28.

Wighton joined Montrose earlier this summer after a loan spell from Dunfermline last season, but says he can no longer "cope with the physical demands" on his body.

Capped six times at Under-21 level by Scotland, Wighton won the Championship with both Dundee and Hearts, while he also lifted the League 1 trophy with Dunfermline.

Wighton has struggled with knee problems since an ACL injury in 2017 and told his family, friends and team-mates of the decision yesterday.

"Just want to thank Montrose for the short time I've been here, I've really enjoyed the changing room and appreciate how nice everyone connected to the club has been," Wighton said.

"This is a decision I feel I've had to make as I can't cope with the physical demands on my body any more and I can't perform the way I want to and know that I can.

"I also want to thank the manager for understanding and for how well he took the news when I had the conversation - that meant a lot to me.

"I wish Montrose nothing but the best for the season, I'll be supporting the boys and have no doubt they'll have a successful season as they are a great group of players and guys!"