NafisaHearts head coach Derek McInnes says the club “will be active” in the transfer market this summer as they look to compete with rivals Celtic and Rangers on a sustained basis.
Named the Scottish Football Writers’ Association manager of the season on Sunday night, McInnes spoke for the first time since seeing the title painfully slip from his side’s grasp on the final day.
Hearts were forced to settle for second place after late goals from Daizen Maeda and Callum Osmand sealed a 3-1 win for Celtic, who retained the championship for a fifth consecutive season.
Despite the heartbreak that comes from being just three minutes away from a historic title triumph, McInnes is confident that Hearts are ready to compete for the title on a consistent basis. This comes after achieving a club record 80 points for the campaign and securing a place in the Champions League qualifiers.
“This season has given us so much encouragement,” said McInnes. “For us to reach 80 points, and to be involved in Champions League qualifiers in July. So many positives. We’ll look back and enjoy it, but we’ll also have that frustration and disappointment to try and push us on to something better.
“You’ve got a good benchmark for what can be achieved. It’s our responsibility now to try and build a squad that meets those challenges [regularly]. There will be more expected of us next season, and rightly so. But it will give us more faith and confidence in what we are doing. The challenges for clubs outside the Old Firm are meeting their club’s expectations. That’s why you want to work at Hearts, because there are those standards. We wanted to make sure we qualified for Europe. We are on similar budgets to the likes of Hibs and Aberdeen. Hopefully, we have inspired other teams about what can be done.
“We are not overflowing with money, and we have to use what we’ve got carefully. What we do have is knowledge, energy, and a drive to push the club forward. We are hopeful and confident we can continue progressing. We’ll look forward to the Champions League qualifiers when they come around. It is important that we have a rest in the summer, but we need to be active in order to strengthen the squad for those sorts of games. We’ll be focused when it comes around to try and make the most of it.”
Alongside McInnes, one of the standouts of the Jambos’ season, Claudio Braga, picked up the SWFA men’s player of the year at the event.
The first Portuguese player to win the award, he revealed what was said in the Tynecastle dressing room in the aftermath of their defeat to Celtic, and why he’s confident the team can become consistent challengers in the seasons ahead.
“I’m not going to lie, it’s quite painful still,” admitted Braga.
“It’s hard to feel and think about other stuff. In the dressing room, when we looked at each other, we just feel like this is the start. We can build more. We were not yet at that level. So we are just learning, with the mistakes, and now next season, with that, we have learnt already.
“So we’ve got even more things to do, and we are a bit more educated on stuff like that, so I feel it is just the beginning for the club and the players. We have a lot to do. We deserved more, but everything happens for a reason, and we are only going to come back stronger.”
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