Surprise signing of Portuguese player bolsters Hearts squad

TIAGO Costa, a 21-year-old right-back from Portugal, was unveiled as Hearts' third signing of the new season yesterday after registering in time to beat the Champions League deadline on Thursday night. The former Benfica player, who joins recent recruits Mauricio Pinilla and Christos Karipidis in Valdas Ivanauskas's squad, has agreed a two-year deal, with options to extend, with the Tynecastle club.

The signing of Costa was a surprise, as John McGlynn, Hearts' assistant coach, suggested last week the club had no need of an additional player in a position where they already have Robbie Neilson and Nerijus Barasa. His ability to play in right midfield as well as in the back four, however, could have tipped the balance in his favour. Ivanauskas made it clear his initial use would be as back-up, and, with Barasa injured, he could be included among the substitutes for Hearts' home league match with Celtic tomorrow.

"I'm sure he'll be helpful for us in the rotation process this season," the coach said, before adding that he expected the new player to fit in quickly. "We have a good relationship with Benfica, and have signed Bruno Aguiar and Takis Fyssas from them. That means the integration process will be a lot easier for him."

Hearts retain an interest in two or three more players, but, with the deadline for the third-round qualifying tie against AEK Athens now past, will put such negotiations on the back burner for the time being. Costa may not be the kind of big name hoped for by the club's supporters, but he emphasised how determined he is to make an impact.

"During the three weeks I've been here I could see this is a great club with great players and supporters," he said. "I'm very optimistic about the club and about Edinburgh. I've been with Benfica since I was ten, and I learned my football there. I didn't have a contract agreed there for this season, so I decided to come here.

"Of course I think I can play in the first team, otherwise I would not have come. But I need to wait for an opportunity then take it. Scottish football is different from Portuguese football, but I've played several games here already and I think I'll be integrated here soon."

While additional signings would clearly be welcome, the biggest boost to the Hearts team in the weeks to come will probably be the return from injury of Paul Hartley. The midfield playmaker has now resumed training, but Ivanauskas said he would not be rushed back into action.

"You probably understand very well the value of Paul Hartley to the team," the coach said. "We all know we need him. Clearly the upcoming games are important and it will be very hard to replace him.

"But after the injury he had it would not be of benefit, to him or to the team, to bring him back too quickly. He will be back in the next few weeks - it's very hard right now to give an exact date."

Hartley's absence has left Hearts looking disjointed at times, with the midfield struggling to link up with the strikers. Yet, for all that they have been some way below their best form, they have still been able to get off to a winning start in the SPL - beating Dunfermline 2-1 at East End Park last week - and to go through from the second round of the Champions League with a 3-0 aggregate win against Siroki Brijeg.

The Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov was critical of his team's style of play in the second leg against the Bosnians, and it was certainly by no means a memorable match. For Ivanauskas, however, the result was more important than aesthetic niceties.

"In the Champions League and internationals what counts is results," the coach said. "The performance might not have been the most beautiful, but what counts is we didn't concede a goal."

The Celtic attack, back on form in their 4-1 victory against Kilmarnock last week, will be a sterner test of the Hearts defence. Ivanauskas does not expect the match to be a reliable indicator of how the season will unfold, but believes it could be as memorable as some of the clashes between the champions and runners-up were last season.

"No, it's just the second game in the league," he said when asked how indicative of future fortunes tomorrow's match would be. "But it will be very interesting just to see how the first teams compare.

"Every meeting between Hearts and Celtic last season was special, as were our games with Rangers. It will stay the same this season, and you cannot know what to expect. Only God knows."

Taken from the Scotsman