Laszlo confident board will negotiate a deal to keep Balogh at Hearts

Darren Johnstone
HEARTS manager Csaba Laszlo admits he is confident a deal to sign goalkeeper Janos Balogh on permanent terms can be struck in the next 24 hours.
And Laszlo has urged influential winger Andy Driver to resist any potential moves to England, claiming the 21-year-old should serve at least another year of his footballing apprenticeship at Tynecastle.

Hearts officials were yesterday working behind the scenes to reach an agreement with Debrecen for Balogh, with the Hungarian side said to be demanding £150,000 to allow their fellow countryman to convert his six-month loan deal into a permanent switch.

The 26-year-old has become the recognised custodian since replacing the injured Marian Kello at half-time during October's draw with Hibs and proved his worth during Sunday's 2-0 Homecoming Scottish Cup win over their city rivals by coming out on top in a one-on-one duel with Steven Fletcher.

Laszlo is naturally enthused that talks aimed at retaining his compatriot, who is a doubt for today's clash at Kilmarnock with a neck injury sustained in training, are proving fruitful following suggestions Hearts would firstly have to sell players to raise revenue for signings.

He said: "Balogh is the most important question at the moment. At the moment, the two clubs sit together. We have a possibility to buy Balogh and I think either today or tomorrow everything will be okay in this direction, I expect him to sign.

"Now, the two clubs are talking. I was upstairs talking with someone from the board and he is trying to find the best solution.

"It's positive this week and there will be a decision there. Another thing is that Balogh is injured; he got a kick in the neck on Thursday and he had to pull out of training on Friday. He told me he had a headache but he will be okay, this is a training injury. We have Marian Kello and Jamie MacDonald and they are ready."

While Laszlo has been putting pressure on the board to conclude a deal with Debrecen for Balogh, his attempts to persuade his taskmasters not to sell Driver are likely to prove futile if suitors offer the reputed £2million asking price.

However, Laszlo, who reiterated his interest in Motherwell striker Chris Porter in the wake of suggestions Hearts had made contact with the Fir Park club, said: "There is a very bad economical situation and a lot of agents come and would like to take a young player from us. We don't talk about thousands of pounds, we talk about millions. Driver has a price but, if it's possible, it's maybe important to stay one more year here to get stronger, mentally and physically."

When asked if he was confident he would realise his wish of signing another striker, Laszlo, who insists a move for out of contract Hungarian midfielder Denes Rosa depends on players leaving, said: "I think this question is not for me, you understand? I think we have 15 days to get a striker. We must do something, yes. If we don't get the player that I want, we must not just bring in a player to have or fill a shirt, I am against this."

Hearts are set to welcome back Bruno Aguiar for today's Rugby Park encounter while Ruben Palazuelos (knee) and Larry Kingston (hamstring) are out. Defenders Lee Wallace and Marius Zaliukas are suspended.

Meanwhile, Alan Combe will battle against the aches and pains of being an ageing goalkeeper as he looks to extend his career into his forties.

The Kilmarnock No1, 34, ended speculation about his future last weekend when he signed a two-year extension to his contract with the Rugby Park club with a further 12-month option.

Combe looked forward to several more seasons between the sticks even if it means coping with the physical pitfalls that come with playing in his position.

"I don't see it being my last contract at Killie," he said. "If I can do well over the next two or three years then hopefully I can get another contract after that. I take great inspiration from a lot of guys who are playing who are 40 and 41.

"I'm only 34 and have another six or seven years left in me. If I look after myself, hopefully it will be at the top level. Playing to that age does creep in to your mind the older you get. I don't have a weight problem or anything like that.

"You see a lot of goalies getting to my age and start getting a wee bit chubby but I've not got that problem.

"It's just a matter of looking after yourself and staying injury-free and, touch wood, I can do that."

Salaries to be paid monthly

HEARTS have successfully implemented a monthly salary payments scheme and senior players now receive their salary once a month and on time.

Players are now paid in full and the payments will continue to be on a monthly basis which replaces the outdated weekly payment programme.

A club spokesperson said: "The transfer to the new payment system has been successful.

"There are significant benefits to the new payment procedures as it improves the club's efficiency in making payments to players.

"Weekly payment was a cumbersome administrative exercise with an increased number of players in the squad.

"Now we do not expect similar problems to those we faced before.

"The change is in line with our ongoing objective of improving operational efficiency of the club at all levels.

"The results of such efficiencies will be reflected in our year-end results."

Taken from the Scotsman