Hibs urged to emulate Hearts’ transfer strategy as Lee McCulloch identifies three lost chances.

Lee McCulloch suggests that Hibs should adopt Hearts’ recruitment strategy of acquiring the top talent from the Scottish Premiership.

Hearts have successfully secured pre-contract deals for players like Yan Dhanda from Ross County, Blair Spittal from Motherwell, and James Penrice from Livingston for the upcoming season. Additionally, they have recruited players such as Zander Clark, Craig Halkett, and Alan Forrest from other SPFL clubs in the past, leading to significant success, including potential qualification for European competitions for the third consecutive season.

In contrast, Hibs have been hesitant to focus on the Scottish market in recent years. Instead, they have cast their net wider in search of players capable of challenging for third place. However, this approach has not yielded the desired results, as evidenced by their relegation to the bottom six for the second time in three seasons.

Former Tynecastle assistant McCulloch believes there’s a straightforward remedy to this situation, urging director of football Brian McDermott to emulate Hearts’ approach.

In an interview with PLZ Soccer, McCulloch stated, “Hibs should have been following Hearts’ example, and I think they’ve overlooked an opportunity. Perhaps it’s commendable to Joe Savage and their recruitment strategy. But Hearts have managed to acquire those three players without transfer fees, only covering their wages. Why isn’t Hibs pursuing a similar path? It’s possible they have been trying, but have fallen short.”