Yesterday, Steven Naismith tried to be blasé about not having Lawrence Shankland in his team for today’s game against Spartans. I don’t know why. Because without him that team of his is flat and lifeless if we’re being generous. The idea that there are capable players in their side ready to step up in the event he is sold is obviously ridiculous.
Yet Naismith keeps pressing this point home, although every Hearts fans hears that and fears the worst. They are getting ready to punt that guy if an “acceptable” offer from Ibrox comes across. But what does that mean in the context of their league position?
If I’m reading the runes correctly, the team which finishes third in the SPFL is guaranteed European Group Stage football next season. Guaranteed it. Which means a place in one of the three revamped tournaments and eight games in which to earn plenty of money. Without Shankland today they could barely get past Spartans in 90 minutes; they needed a 91st minute goal. If he’s not there for league games, what kind of state are they going to be in?
Let’s be honest; how much is Shankland worth on the open market? £3 million? Where is the interest from England or elsewhere? If the only club in the bidding is the one from Ibrox, what is a realistic asking fee if you want to be able to look in the mirror without thinking you’re a fool? If that decisions costs you third place, what does £3 million get you?
That could be the difference between Group Stage games and not next season, and if it is the difference you’ve essentially given away your best player for nothing, and to a rival team which might well be the one whose goals cost you that European place. What if it’s Shankland who consigns Hearts to fifth or sixth or even consigns them to the bottom half of the league before the split? Is it still worth it if you’ve got that £3 million in the bank?
Naismith talks like a manager who hasn’t got a choice if he gets an offer for the player. Actually, he does, and it’s quite an obvious one. To say that Shankland is under contract and that he’ll be at Hearts at least until the end of the season.
If he really believes that Shankland’s goals can be replaced in the team with some panic buy on the day the window shuts, whilst Ibrox’s directors grin like Cheshire cats at their folly, he should know that at some point he’s going to have to explain that to the fans, probably after the decision has already cost him his job.
I know this won’t be popular but we should sign him, with the service he would get he will score loads, yes I’m sure there will be other strikers available but we are not signing them. He would improve our options up front and at the moment that’s what matters.
It’s popular with me MW…
He scores goals for fun – who do we have if (heaven forbid) Kyogo gets injured ?
Oh is hardly prolific – neither is Maeda so who then…
Two words Lawerence Shankland !
Money talks so Go and bloody get him then Celtic !
The boy obviously wants to play for the huns. I am not sure what Naismith is supposed to do. If he doesn’t want to stay at Hearts then there’s little he can do. It should worry us. But not overly so. We need a Kyogo partner / backup. This is why Brendan gets paid the big £££££s. He needs to figure this one out. We could put down a proper bid on Shankland ourselves to price the huns out. It won’t happen as that would be silly. We should welcome the challenge.
Basically everything you have said can be echoed in relation of Matt O Riley. Obviously on a lower scale but if they get the 3rd place spot that his goals would almost certainly guarantee, then they would earn much more than the quoted 3 million, as would we if by keeping Matt we guarantee the title and the 60 million bounty that next season it comes with. Main difference of course is that we can survive without the 20-30 million that we should be demanding (at least .. imagine if he makes the Danish Euro squad and plays a blinder against Ingerland – possibly higher quality teams would then emerge looking to sign him, which could drive the price higher) but can Hearts resist a similar scenario?
Prepare for the red tops to begin ‘smoking’ hearts over this. If the player is tapped up (surely not!!), then he might become difficult to manage, but as a pro who has come up the hard way, I would be surprised if he started that caper, although if he sees his ‘dream move’ slipping away anything is possible. Hearts ownership is now in the hands of fans so there shouldn’t be the forelock tugging to iBrox from the boardroom that Naeclue is very guilty of, so they should be holding out for the sort of fee that his absence might cost them, as opposed to what he’s actually worth as a player – the analogy being Newcastle signing Chris Wood from Burnley for £25m not for what he was worth to them, but how valuable he was to Burnley. Hope Hearts had the sense to put a high buy-out clause in his contract……..
The scum need to find Scottish based players to a far higher degree than ourselves currently.
So could shankland potentially do a job at CL level or even any degree of decent European football?
Don’t believe he could myself, so only an SPFL level player, for which we need to be looking for potentially better imo.
Is shankland a better player and option to ourselves than OH?
Could well be, but believe that decision won’t be actually made until the end of the season, so any potential striker coming in during January, I think will only be a loan signing, which would rule ourselves out of any interest in shankland imo.
Maeda can still cover kyogo currently, without changing any form of team set up imo, but weather Rodgers would like another option through the central striking position remains to be seen yet?
Personally think a decent target man would benefit ourselves, yet would be hoping for better than shankland, and not convinced yet that OH will be able to provide that either within his own game presently imo?
They might sell him to the Huns for 3 million to be paid in 10 instalments but it’s 4 million to Celtic.
And I’d still buy him just to rub all their noses in it.
Without him they couldny score in a barrel of beef biryanis.
Major predicament If Shankland goes to Ibrox, who is going to inlfate their goals tally taking the glut of pens to come, Shanks, Tavs?? Manager could lose the dressing room over that one.
Just like any manager it is not his decision
The deal has been done all the lies from thug naemark and wee fudge to appease dirty farts scum no your place bow down and kneel at sevco know your place except there sloppy seconds