Truly a high five for Elliot

FIVE-YEAR contracts have been rendered virtually redundant in the modern financially-restricted era of player movement and counter movement.

So the value Hearts that placed on securing the future of 19-year-old Calum Elliot cannot be overstated.

The striker agreed this week to cement himself in Gorgie until 2011 as his club willingly delivered on one of the conditions of his previous contract. "It was part of the last contract after a certain amount of games that I would be due a new one," said a delighted Elliot, whose long-term extension actually became a legal obligation for Hearts as of New Year's Day, when he appeared for the first team for the 20th time in the 3-2 defeat by Celtic.

In most cases, at the juncture of his 20th outing, observers are still trying to form a resolute opinion on the prospects of an emerging footballer. Not so Elliot. He may only have opened his Hearts scoring account in the match that immediately preceded that Celtic loss, when he scored a double in the 5-0 demolishing of Falkirk, but for months beforehand supporters and media alike had been salivating at the potential he offered.

Along with Steven Fletcher of Hibs, Elliot stands as one of the brightest prospects of the national game, ending last season with six goals at club level and two on his Scotland Under-21 debut against Iceland. But those statistics betray only a fraction of his capabilities, as attending any game he is involved in would affirm.

The Hearts hierarchy must have wiped more than a few beads of sweat from their brows at the sight of Elliot scrolling his name across their especially long contract. But his future, in hindsight, was never in any doubt. "To commit your future to a club like Hearts for five years is a massive commitment, but having seen the way the club is going I just want to be part of it," said Elliot.

"It took a month or two for all the negotiations to get sorted and I was pleased when it finally got concluded. I didn't need long to decide, it was just a matter of getting everything sorted and signing, basically."

With the formalities out of the way, Elliot has a chance to digest his crammed schedule for the weeks ahead. He jetted out to France today as the Hearts squad undertake a week of relaxation and body conditioning at the request of their paymaster Vladimir Romanov. After that it's a ten-day training camp in Austria, followed by Scotland youth duty at the UEFA Under-19 Championship Finals in Poland and then a baptism in another rather important tournament, the glamour of which has kept young Elliot awake at night.

"Everybody dreams of playing in the Champions League. It's just something you want to be part of and hopefully we all can be if we can go through the qualifying stages," says the teenager.

"Being involved with the first team and the great players we have is just a bonus for me, and the Champions League is an extra incentive. If you get a chance to play, though, you'll have to take it. What has happened in Scottish football in the recent past has forced clubs to go down the road of playing their own players, which is giving everybody a chance. Quite a lot of players are taking that chance and it's even led to international recognition for some of them.

"Everyone thinks about playing for their country but firstly it's important to play well for your club. Anything after that you treat as a bonus. At Hearts, we just hope to go one better in the coming league season and finish first. That's everyone's aim after closing the gap last season. The boys we'll have this year will, I imagine, go close again."

Beyond that, Romanov has already professed his extravagant ambitions for Hearts. Moves like securing Elliot for a further five years are what the Russian banker hopes will help him realise them, though trying to predict what prestige Hearts will have come 2011 when Elliot is next out of contract it is extremely testing on the imagination.

"It's anyone's guess, really," admits the striker. "The way the club is going just now, you've got to hope that they'll be winning leagues in that time. They certainly have the potential to go a long way in the next five years."

For the next five weeks, there's enough to be getting on with. Primarily increasing the fitness levels of players in preparation for the challenges ahead. "I'll tell you how I'm fixed after the workouts in France..." smiles Elliot. He's not just along for the run, however.

Taken from the Scotsman