Evian thirsty to secure Andy Driver loan from Hearts

FRENCH club Evian Thonon Gaillard have been revealed as the unnamed Ligue 1 side pursuing a loan deal for Hearts winger Andy Driver. They are hoping to lure the player across the English Channel on a six-month loan but face stiff competition from a host of other clubs.

Evian recently appointed the Uruguayan Pablo Correa as coach and he is eager to reinforce the squad having lost players to the Africa Cup of Nations. Driver is viewed as an exciting attacking player who could help Correa as he seeks to make an instant impression with a club sitting 11th in the 20-strong Ligue 1.

French media reported that Evian are close to agreeing a deal for Driver but the Evening News has learned that the winger’s immediate future has still to be decided. Crystal Palace, Burnley, Bristol City and the Dutch club FC Twente are all competing to take him on loan after he submitted a transfer request to Hearts.

Speaking last week, Correa admitted he needed new faces to freshen up the Evian squad. “We had planned to make one or two small changes that might not have been imperative, but were necessary nevertheless,” he said. “We have at least two players who will be away at the Africa Cup of Nations. (Jonathan) Mensah and (Saber) Khlifa are definitely going and (Yannick) Sagbo and (Brice) Dja Djédjé might be called up by the Ivory Coast.

“But we need to watch our spending. Perhaps we can free up some funds if any players are loaned out to get playing time elsewhere. The window is open until January 31, but we need to replace Saber Khlifa now because he will be away up until mid-February.”

Hearts were yesterday drawn to face St Johnstone in the sixth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup. The tie is due to take place at Tynecastle on Saturday, February 4, but may be rescheduled to accommodate the Scotland-England rugby international taking place at Murrayfield the same day.

Meanwhile, Hearts are edging closer to receiving the final instalment of their £9 million transfer fee for Craig Gordon from Sunderland. The goalkeeper completed his second full 90 minutes for Sunderland reserves since the turn of the year and needs to make only a handful of first-team appearances to reach 100 and trigger the final payment to Hearts.

Martin O’Neill, the Sunderland manager, said he is a huge admirer of Gordon and revealed he submitted an offer for the Scotland goalkeeper before his move to the Black Cats was agreed in 2007.

“I was an admirer of Craig’s when I was at Aston Villa and we made a bid for him, but Sunderland outbid us,” explained O’Neill. “It’s important to make clear that no one is shoving him out of the door. It would be ridiculous to do that with a top-quality keeper, so we’ll see. No one’s rushing into anything just yet.”