Hearts director says players will be paid on time

HEARTS director Sergejus Fedotovas is confident that the club will pay players’ wages on time this month. Provided salaries are processed by the due date of December 16, Hearts will have their transfer embargo lifted and be free to sign players during January’s transfer window.

Players and coaches are due to receive their pay this weekend after agreeing to defer last month’s salaries. Those have been paid up to date so far and Hearts predict no problems processing this month’s payments on time after more than £1million poured into Gorgie in the last month. “I am confident we will pay the wages on time. We are working towards that and I don’t foresee any problems,” 
Fedotovas told the Evening News.

Hearts are operating under a 
transfer embargo imposed by the Scottish Premier League until 
December 23. The sanction was imposed as punishment for paying 
players late in October, and the SPL today pledged to lift the embargo if this month’s salaries arrive as scheduled. “Assuming there are no further breaches of the rules, then the transfer embargo will be automatically removed on December 23 and the club will be free to sign players thereafter,” said an SPL spokesperson.

Hearts fans have generated over £700,000 of income for the club through a share issue, which runs until December 19. A £300,000 instalment arrived from Rangers at the end of last month as part of David Templeton’s transfer deal. Those monies are being used to help make up a shortfall in income estimated at around £2 million.

Plans are already in place to recruit new players in January, with the Lithuanian international striker Arturas Rimkevicius expected to train with the Hearts first team at Riccarton today. He scored 41 goals in 38 games in all competitions this year and is seen as a possible solution to the club’s goalscoring problems.