Hearts’ sporting director Joe Savage is targeting players who will make an impact for the club in the Premiership next season.
Robbie Neilson led Hearts to the Championship title and an immediate return to the top flight after last summer’s demotion.
Savage, who arrived from Preston North End in January, is embarking on his first summer transfer window at Tynecastle.
He oversaw the January arrivals of Gary Mackay-Steven, Armand Gnanduillet, Aaron McEneff and Gervane Kastaneer when the brief was simply to get over the line and clinch the title.
Now Savage faces the much more arduous task of making sure Hearts are Premiership ready.
Of the four new faces that signed in the last window, Kastaneer will return to Coventry now that his loan is up, although McEneff, Mackay-Steven and Gnanduillet will be expected to produce next season.
Mackay-Steven has been there and done it with Dundee United and Celtic, but the other two are as yet untested at the top level.
Not every summer signing will be, but Savage is trying to identify players who can make their presence felt rather than just come in and fill out the squad.
Speaking after the pre-contract signing of back up ‘keeper Ross Stewart, he said: “We’ve been speaking to Ross for a while and there was an eagerness on both sides to get a deal sorted.
“Sometimes it can be a tough task to get the right personnel for your goalkeeping department but in Ross we’ve got a talented keeper and guy who has just slotted in seamlessly, so this was a straightforward exercise.
“Robbie and I will continue to work hard to ensure that we bring in the right players to this club, players who will help us to make an impact in the Premiership next season."
