Rix targets real quality like McCann

HEARTS head coach Graham Rix revealed today that he believes the players the club is trying to bring in can help turn Hearts into perennial championship challengers.

He said he was targeting two "top-class" players to really excite the fans - one of whom may be former Jambo Neil McCann.

Rix has already completed the signings of Yeovil Town midfielder Lee Johnson and Lithuanian international defender Nerijus Barasa and are looking to bring in further faces.

Bosnian winger Mirsad Beslija is expected to put pen-to-paper on an £850,000 move from Belgian side Racing Genk early next week while teenagers Matthew Park and Branimar Kostadinov, who are Australian and Bulgarian respectively, are also close to agreeing terms.

McCann is reported to have turned down Premiership Wigan to fly into Edinburgh for signing talks with Hearts last night.

Rix insisted that his signings, along with other players they are chasing, can make the Jambos a force to be reckoned with.

He said: "I want to build a squad that is going to last. I want a squad that can challenge for the league not only this year but for many years and, if we get the players we are after, I think we could do that. There are a couple of top-class players we are trying to bring in.

"They really are top-class individuals and I would be very happy indeed if we could get them.

"If we could get these two players I think it would show everyone that we really mean business and aren't messing around.

"There are others we are after that we are also very close to getting but there are a lot of things involved with signing a player these days.

"You have medical details, financial details as well as dealing with another club so it takes time. In my day it was a lot easier than this but now it's complicated and these things take time."

Meanwhile, Rix also insisted he has a good working relationship with club owner Vladimir Romanov.

The Lithuanian businessman has been accused of making previous boss George Burley's position at the club untenable but Rix insisted he has had nothing other than support from his boss. "He's been really good, really supportive," said Rix.

"I have had a lot of contact with him and Roman and they are both very ambitious. We have bounced ideas off each other and I've had no problem there whatsoever."

Taken from the Scotsman