Why Hearts are targeting South America as club faces goalkeeper dilemma and 26-year Rangers landmark

Kenneth Vargas made a big impression at the club last season and has been joined by fellow Costa Rican Gerald Taylor for the new campaign which kick-offs for the Tynecastle side on Saturday with an intriguing home clash against Rangers. With Musa Drammeh also having signed from Sevilla and a loan deal for Colombian international Andres Salazar being pursued, there is a definite Latin flavour coming to Gorgie.

“They speak good English but it makes you more comfortable when you can relax and speak Spanish with them,” said Liam Boyce, the Hearts forward who is striving to put together an injury-free run after a difficult couple of seasons. “We all try and learn Spanish words. It’s good to get them in, they are questioning people’s nicknames, why does their name change from Halkett to Halks, Shankland to Shanks? They have all fitted in really well and they are joining in all the banter.”

Naismith acknowledged that he has had to be “creative” in the transfer market and his new signings are a blend of native talent such as Blair Spittal, Yan Dhanda and James Penrice, and more exotic talents. The move for Salazar looks particularly enticing and the Hearts head coach believes there is value for money to be found in South and Central America where affordable players can be sourced with a potential to go far in the game.

“Without a doubt,” said Naismith. “I think also with visa and work permit regulations different in different countries make it a more accessible area to look at. You need to be creative. You can look domestically and you can look at tried and tested players that are lower risk in some respects but you maybe don’t have that ceiling you’d have with someone else.

“I go back to character: no matter where you are in the world you need to have a drive and determination to want to be better and get to the highest point. I think we’ve identified that in the players that we’ve brought in. There doesn’t seem to be any who are comfortable and think they’ve got their end goal by coming to Hearts.”

Salazar, 21, has been on Hearts’ radar for 18 months and is a player Naismith initially thought might be beyond their reach. He won his first full cap last summer, plays in the Colombian top-tier for Atletico Nacional and is seen as a potential replacement for Alex Cochrane who moved to Birmingham City last month for £1 million. He would join initially on loan, with the possibility of Hearts then buying him.

“It's something we are working on but I've not got much update in terms of where that's at,” Naismith said. “As a player, he's got really high potential. We've been fortunate in that the situation at his current club is going to restrict his minutes and the way the deal has been structured and the way it will work out, it's a good opportunity for us.

“As we lost Alex, he was somebody we knew about but we didn't really think we had a massive opportunity to get him. But that seems to have changed and it's something we're working hard to get done. In the last 18 months he’s been highlighted in our general recruitment meetings. It was very much a monitoring situation because it was one of those where we maybe felt he was out of reach for us.”

Naismith has strengthened his squad considerably and is aware it will be difficult to keep everyone happy but, with European group stage football to come, he knows he needs a bigger group as Hearts fight on two fronts. The focus for the moment is on domestic matters and the Premiership opener against Rangers, a repeat of the clubs’ final league fixture of last season. On that occasion Hearts finished strongly, scoring two late goals to claim a 3-3 draw in a pulsating match at Tynecastle.

It was a stirring way to end an impressive first full campaign under Naismith, particularly as they had lost five times previously to Rangers over the course of the season, including in both cup semi-finals. In fact, Rangers were the only team Hearts failed to beat during a Premiership campaign in which they twice defeated Celtic en route to claiming third place.

The Gorgie side go into Saturday’s game without injured midfielders Beni Baningime and Calem Nieuwnehof but defender Stephen Kingsley is fit and available after missing the club’s pre-season friendlies. One of Naismith’s biggest selection dilemmas will be whether to go with Craig Gordon or Zander Clark in goal. Clark started 35 of Hearts’ 38 league games last season as Gordon fought back to fitness following a serious leg break. Both were included in Steve Clarke’s initial Scotland squad for the Euros but only Clark made the final cut. Naismith said he had made his decision but was not prepared to divulge it until match-day.

“We've got two goalies fighting it out for one spot at the moment effectively and they are two really good goalies,” he said. “It is a hard decision for myself, all I can do is put my point across to both and as I've said to them, try and keep everybody content as much as possible.”

You have to go back 26 years for the last time Hearts hosted Rangers on the opening weekend of the season. On that occasion, the home side won 2-1 thanks to goals from Stephane Adam and Jim Hamilton on a boisterous Sunday evening at Tynecastle. A repeat on Saturday lunchtime would suit Naismith just fine.