Hearts forced to wait for Kenneth Vargas as 'exciting young player's' main attributes revealed

The new season is looming large – but Hearts are going to have to be patient when it comes to getting Kenneth Vargas involved in the action.

Hearts' technical director Steven Naismith says Kenneth Vargas will be worth the wait.

While a fee has been agreed with CS Herediano for the Costa Rican forward, technical director Steven Naismith says he does not know how long it will take to push through the required work permits and visas.

Expected to touch down in the capital this week, no deal will be finalised until the authorities rubber-stamp the paperwork, which means that while fellow newcomer Kyosuke Tagawa’s transfer is likely to be completed in time to render available for the opening league match, against Johnstone on Saturday, Vargas will be sidelined until at least next week, perhaps longer, as he then takes time to get used to Scottish football. But Naismith believes he will be worth the wait.

“He is very direct,” explained Naismith. “He's a goal threat and he's got pace. He is an exciting young player. This will be his first time playing in Europe so there will be time needed to make sure he is settled but I think he can bring real value to the squad.”

While Tagawa and Vargas will join Hearts’ other summer signings, Michael McGovern and the two most recent debutants Frankie Kent and Calem Nieuwenhof, there is also the highly-anticipated return to competitive action of Liam Boyce and Beni Baningime from long-term cruciate injuries to look forward to. But that will also require patience, according to Naismith. Although both have clocked up the minutes in pre-season games, there is a need to rein in the enthusiasm and manage their competitive comebacks.

“The hard part is that they’ve been out for so long,” continued Naismith. “But, they’ve both come through pre-season really well. Boycie came off the other night [against Mansfield Town] just because he was feeling fatigued and you don’t want to push it. Beni got 90 minutes which was probably longer [than expected] in terms of playing and being competitive in the game. We wanted to give him the 90 minutes to push on. He was burst by the end of it but he is in and around the squad, available for selection, and Boyce came back into training on Tuesday as well.

“We’re still monitoring them. You can’t let them just come back into a pre-season then shoot up or they’ll break down but they’re both in a good place.”

While Hearts prepare for their Premiership opener, Naismith admitted there will be one eye on Thursday night’s Europa Conference League second round qualifiers as they wait to see if they will face Rosenborg or Crusaders in the next round. “From watching the [first leg] game, they have two different styles and are going to cause you different threats,” said Naismith. “Both teams will think they still have a chance so we’re not thinking it’s more likely to be one than the other. It’s really 50/50.

What they do know is who they will play in the last 16 of the Viaplay Cup – Partick Thistle, at Tynecastle at 2pm on August 20. “We’re pleased it’s a home tie, that’s the big thing,” added Naismith. “They finished the season well without getting the rewards for it so they will be a threat but hopefully we’ll be into our stride by then and we can be confident.”