Hearts: we won't give in over Gogua

VALDAS IVANAUSKAS hopes Hearts can resurrect the signing of Gogita Gogua this summer after the Georgian midfielder was denied a deadline-day loan move to Tynecastle because of work permit complications.

Gogua's six-month loan deal from the Russian club Spartak Nalchik had to be cancelled on Tuesday after his permit appeal was refused by the Home Office. However, Ivanauskas does not believe that will be the end of the matter.

Hearts had petitioned that the 23-year-old should be allowed a move to the UK on the grounds that he had played in the required 75 per cent of international matches for his country during the last two years.

The appeal was rejected because Georgia's 94th place in the FIFA World Rankings table does not meet the criteria for work permit approval but Hearts will return to the Home Office at the end of the season with a fresh application.

Gogua is expected to have earned four more caps by then in Georgia's Euro 2008 qualifying games against Scotland, the Faroe Islands, Lithuania and France. Ivanauskas hopes those extra appearances, along with even a modest rise in Georgia's world ranking, might persuade government officials. Georgia currently have just one win, a 6-0 win over the Faroes, from their four games.

"I want this player so I hope he can play regularly for his national team this year. If he is playing good enough then we will be interested again in the summer," said Ivanauskas. "He had made enough appearances for Georgia because he is a regular for them, but because Georgia are 94th in the FIFA rankings table it was too difficult. I don't know why it was a problem but, for me, if one good player plays regularly for his country then it is difficult to say why he does not get a permit.

"It's very strange and a very hard decision. The player wanted to play for Hearts, but we will need to wait now and look at it again in the summer." Ivanauskas takes Hearts to East End Park tomorrow for the Scottish Cup fourth-round tie with Dunfermline, and the head coach is preparing to welcome captain Craig Gordon back into the side.

The Scotland goalkeeper missed Hearts' victory over Falkirk with a groin strain and was excluded from the squad at Ibrox last week whilst majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov attempted to negotiate his transfer.

However, despite bids from Fulham and Spartak Moscow, Gordon remained at Tynecastle and should replace Steve Banks in goal tomorrow afternoon. "Craig's groin is okay and he is coming back in to the team," said Ivanauskas, who is likely to take the opportunity to rest his top goalscorer, Andrius Velicka who he feels needs a break.

Meanwhile, Hearts' hopes of redeveloping Tynecastle could be delayed by two months after Liberal Democrat councillor Tom Ponton raised concerns that the club were being sold land around the ground too cheaply.

The council had agreed to pay around 6million for the ground, which includes Tynecastle High School and the adult education centre, but Ponton wants an independent valuer to be called in to look at the site and the matter will now go to the council's scrutiny panel on March 1.

Hearts remain confident that the deal will go ahead but Ponton insisted: "An independent valuation is necessary to ensure we are getting the best value for Edinburgh taxpayers. We won't be rushed into anything by Hearts."