Steve Cotterill was interviewed for the Hearts job as the search continues for a new boss at Tynecastle.
The former Birmingham City manager held talks with owner Ann Budge in Edinburgh after applying to succeed Craig Levein .
The 55-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Birmingham in March 2018.
Cotterill lifted the FA Trophy, a Conference title and won promotion to the old Second Division during a hugely successful five-year stint with Cheltenham Town from 1997.
He won the League Two title in 2010 with Notts County and claimed a League One title and Football League trophy double with Bristol City in 2015. Cotterill’s also held the top jobs at Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Burnley and Stoke .
Hearts are understood to be in the first round of interviews, with Budge not expecting to finalise any appointment before the end of the current international break.
They are also actively searching for a sporting director.
Felix Magath, Dougie Freedman, Neil Warnock, Graham Alexander and current interim Austin MacPhee have all been linked with the head coach position.
