Breaking: Hearts signs 25-year-old and 28-year-old Midfielders.

Hearts were accused for failing to break down tightly packed opponent defences at times last season. Frustration developed among supporters who felt their squad was too passive and lacked creativity in the last third. Management made resolving that issue a top priority, which led to the pre-contract signings of Yan Dhanda from Ross County and Blair Spittal from Motherwell.

In an overall excellent year, Hearts finished comfortably third in the Premiership and secured European league-stage football for the 2024/25 season. However, head coach Steven Naismith and his staff are determined not to rest on their laurels. More offensive flare and incision were desired, and Dhanda and Spittal were particularly recruited to assist with this. Barrie McKay’s return from injury should provide more excitement.

Naismith now has a plethora of choices in the attacking department. Dhanda and Spittal join McKay, Yutaro Oda, Alan Forrest, Kenneth Vargas, Lawrence Shankland, Liam Boyce, Musa Drammeh and Kyosuke Tagawa as offensive options for Hearts. All of the above will be used in various roles at different times with the aim of increasing the team’s intensity.

Last season, Dhanda scored six goals and assisted eight times as Ross County successfully survived relegation from the Premiership. The previous year, his debut in Scottish football after joining from Swansea City, he scored six goals and provided ten assists. The 25-year-old comes to Edinburgh expecting to enhance his statistics in a squad competing at the opposite end of the division.

Spittal had 13 goals and 11 assists for Motherwell last season. He had six goals and seven assists the season prior. At 28, he brings valuable Scottish football experience from spells with Queen’s Park, Dundee United, Partick Thistle, and Ross County before joining Motherwell. Most importantly, if the recent 12 months are any indication, he appears to be at the pinnacle of his game.

Naismith is quite clear on his plans for both Dhanda and Spittal. “The two of them are similar in that probably one of their biggest strengths is their flexibility,” he explained to the Edinburgh News. “Blair, being a wee bit older, can play slightly deeper if need be. Both of them, with their intelligence, can play in any of the wider areas, off the top of a striker, or in a flat midfield three. That’s the biggest thing they bring – that versatility.

“They are different players, and I believe they are different from the other attacking players we have. They send a clear message: they are savvy footballers. They spot runs and passes, and they know when the game should be played faster and when it’s best to keep the ball. This enables them to be diverse players. This is how I perceive them. I don’t always perceive them as ‘oh, he’s simply a No.10’ or ‘he’s a wide guy.’ In each game, we must determine where they will have the greatest influence.

With six summer signings complete, Hearts are in a strong position for the new campaign. Goalkeeper Ryan Fulton, defenders James Penrice and Daniel Oyegoke, and striker Musa Drammeh join Dhanda and Spittal as new recruits already in the door at Riccarton. Gerald Taylor is poised to follow once he finishes international duty with Costa Rica at the Copa America.

Naismith is sure that he has recruited a quality group. “I probably categorise the players as defenders, midfielders, and then the general attack,” he told me. “The alternatives we have mean that, regardless of the system we use, our playing team includes a diverse range of profiles. That is very healthy. There aren’t many players on the roster who we look at and say, “Probably a little weaker.” Individuals all have distinct types of profiles. We have a fair balance in terms of games played and injuries sustained. We can be confident that we will have choices in every game.