Hearts manager left in the dark over reasons behind late collapse of deal to replace Berra with Farkas

STUART BATHGATE
AS THE departure of Christophe Berra from Hearts grew ever more likely last month, Csaba Laszlo let it be known he had a replacement earmarked and ready to be recruited. This week, on transfer deadline day, with the centre-back and captain having left Tynecastle for Wolves, that replacement was identified as Pavol Farkas of Slovakian club, Artmedia Bratislava.
But, after believing the deal was in the bag, Laszlo learned after the window closed that Farkas had not signed after all. Yesterday, as he looked forward to Hearts' Homecoming Scottish Cup tie at home to Falkirk, the manager admitted to his disappointment at the failure to sign the defender, and said he was still not entirely sure what had gone wrong.

"I don't know what happened," Laszlo said. "All I know is we were 40 minutes too late.

"I don't try to find out who made a mistake – that doesn't help me.

"Maybe something happened in Slovakia. I don't know. Mr (Anatoly] Korobochka told me we were too late and we will try to get the player in May."

Korobochka, Hearts' director of football, takes charge of player recruitment. If there was an error on the Scottish side of the attempted deal, it is therefore likely it was committed by him – but Laszlo could only reiterate that he had yet to learn what went wrong and why.

"I'm very disappointed Pavol Farkas is not here. He is a good player with international experience with some caps for the Slovakian national team. If you lose a player like Christophe Berra you must have a quality (replacement].

"On Monday afternoon I had the information that everything was OK. Even at 4.30pm (half an hour before the window closed], I was sure this player was our player, then in the evening I heard we had some problems with registration.

"You must ask the sport director and others who were involved. I asked a lot of questions, but my responsibility is not to bring it to the media.

"Maybe we have the chance to take this player in the summer.

"If I begin to be frustrated and if I begin to think about this thing, I lose my complete focus to bring this team to the best six and maybe what I wish on Saturday is to go to the next round in the Cup.

"The player was important for the long term, not just Saturday. The league is very long and we go in the finish and must be very focused."

Having lost out on Farkas, Laszlo will have to use his existing resources differently. In Christos Karipidis and Eggert Jonsson he has two men who are more than capable of replacing Berra and partnering Marius Zaliukas in central defence, but both would leave gaps elsewhere.

Karipidis has been playing just in front of the back four – a position which no-one else at he club, except perhaps Jonsson, could fill as efficiently. And Jonsson has shown himself to be capable of playing in a number of positions at the back or in midfield, moving around according to which players are out because of injury or suspension.

Laszlo's preferred option, at least when Robbie Neilson and Lee Wallace are available to play at full-back, will probably be to field Jonsson at centre-back. If and when Farkas is recruited, he will then have to think again about what Jonsson's best position is in the longer term: otherwise, the young Icelander's versatility may begin to hamper his development as a footballer.

Hearts appeared to feel Berra's absence keenly last Saturday, when they lost 2-0 at Hamilton in the SPL, but Laszlo insisted no-one could use that as an excuse. "Christophe was a very good captain," he said. "But we did not lose the game because he was not on the field."

Meanwhile, Hearts may be without Laryea Kingston when they face Falkirk tomorrow. Laszlo said the midfielder may be allowed to return to Ghana for treatment on his troublesome hamstring.

Taken from the Scotsman