| Jim Jefferies has had successful discussions with Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov and has been given the go ahead to get some reinforcements into replace players who have left the club. Top of the Jambos boss's wish-list will be strikers and midfielders as both he and Romanov agree that strengthening those areas of the team is a priority. Jeffries had always said that he would need to speak to the majority stakeholder before he would make any moves. Jeffries went on: "I said previously I would sit down at the end of the season and make a decision about players moving on and players coming in and all the talks with Mr Romanov went well. There is a nucleus of a very good side here and it just needs strengthening in certain areas. We agreed that the priority is to strengthen the first team and we are looking to do that. We agreed the areas we need to look at are midfield and up front and moves have been made to talk to people. We are discussing things with players at the moment and continue to look for the right options. I have talked to Mr Romanov and Sergei (Fedotovas) about targets and they were happy to give me the go ahead to try to sign them. We still have to agree terms and we shall look for other appropriate options. I won't go into detail about our targets until we have their names on the dotted line." The squad has been reduced with four big earners leaving the club. Jose Goncalves, Christian Nade, Laryea Kingston and Michael Stewart have all played their last game for Hearts and their places will need to be filled. Jefferies added: "We have a very clear plan of where we want to take the club and the players required to take us there. This will be a mix of quality, experienced players blended with some of the best young talent in the country. We do have a good core squad at the moment but we will continue to look for new talent. As part of this process, a review of our existing squad has led to us releasing certain players. I have no doubt it will become very clear to supporters that every decision we make will put the club first and every player at Hearts will have a direct responsibility in contributing to the success of this club." |