Following a quiet start to the transfer window, Heart of Midlothian are now ramping up their efforts to build a solid team ahead of their Premiership opener against St Johnstone in just 12 days.
Steven Naismith has signed Michael McGovern and Calem Nieuwenhof and has now set his sights on luring defender Frankie Kent from Peterborough United.
Will Hearts sign Frankie Kent?
The Tynecastle side submitted an offer for the player last week which was swiftly rejected by the League One club, although The Posh chairman Barry Fry claimed that the two teams were “very close” to finalising an offer.
According to The Daily Record, Hearts have now had a bid accepted for the centre-back, and he has been given permission to speak to the Jambos ahead of a move.
Fry lauded Kent for his spell at Peterborough, saying: “Frankie helped us win promotion, he helped us to get in the play-offs last year and had a year in the Championship. He’s a great lad. A big centre half, quick, strong in the air, a great talker.”
How good is Frankie Kent?
With Steven Naismith having just three centre-backs to call on next season, another one or two players were urgently required to improve that specific area of the team.
Kent played 42 matches in League One last season as he helped his side reach the playoffs, although they lost following a stunning second leg comeback by Sheffield Wednesday during their semifinal tie.
The 27-year-old was solid at the back, helping his team keep 14 clean sheets while he also won 3.5 aerial duels per game – a rate of 64% – and this suggests he could adapt to the physical nature of Scottish football rather well.
The 6 foot 2 rock also ranked second across the Peterborough squad for accurate passes per game (45) while also ranking fourth for interceptions (1.1) and first for clearances (3.7) per game, suggesting that he had a positive influence on the team defensively and Naismith could forge a solid partnership with him and Craig Halkett.
The former Livingston defender missed 45 matches last season due to suffering a horrific cruciate ligament injury, playing just eight times, but he was incredible during the 2021/22 campaign.
He ranked fourth for overall Sofascore rating (7.14) and first for accurate passes per game (51.1), which suggests that should Naismith secure the move for Kent, the duo could use their passing abilities to create plenty of opportunities from the heart of the defence together.
Halkett also showed his eagerness to win the ball back by making 1.5 tackles per game, good enough to rank him sixth in the squad while like Kent, he topped the pile for clearances per game (4.5) and Hearts could certainly improve on their fourth-placed finish last term with a centre-back duo of Kent and Halkett running things from the back.
The Englishman is clearly eyeing a new challenge by swapping League One for the Premiership, while a chance of playing European football is surely proving to be a key incentive for the player in what could be a shrewd move indeed by Naismith.