Hearts keen on Andy Webster, but they face competition

A free agent after being released by Rangers on Monday, Webster has also attracted interest from Dundee United, Hibernian and Aberdeen as well as clubs in England, and yesterday the Hearts manager accepted that the 28-year-old need not be in a hurry to make up his mind.

"He's had offers from clubs in Scotland and England, and we've put our hat into the ring," Jefferies said. "Marius Zaliukas and Ismael Bouzid have been the only two recognised centre-halves we've had. There are players out of contract, and so you're always wanting to be a step ahead."

Bouzid is one such player, and Jefferies sees Webster, who was a Hearts player for five years from 2001, as a natural replacement for the Algerian international.

After falling out badly with the club towards the end of that period, Webster is disliked by a section of the Hearts support, but Jefferies said that club owner Vladimir Romanov, for one, had no objection to him returning.

"He's been here before; he knows all about the club. I don't know the circumstances. It doesn't interest me, because I know he'll know all about those circumstances better than I will and it's up to him to make that decision.

"When I mentioned his name to the owner he sounded a little bit surprised, but it didn't take him long to say that if that was a possibility he could make that happen if he was available.

"Maybe it's wrong to say he said he could make it happen - maybe it's more that we would throw our hats into the ring, because we knew there would be a lot of interest in him. He's a good talker, a good organiser, he reads the game great, and, I think, if we're fortunate enough to get him back here, he would be a good signing for us. He would be that bit of experience. I think the owner recognises that and that's why he's given me the go-ahead."

Hearts travel to Ibrox tonight for a league meeting with Webster's last employers knowing that they need to play far better than they did on their last visit to Glasgow a week ago, when they lost 4-0 at Celtic Park. Indeed, Jefferies is just as convinced that his team will also need to perform to a higher level than they did in their last game against Rangers - a match they won.

"We'll have to do better than we did against Celtic - and better even than when we beat Rangers, particularly in the first half, because if we give them the same chances they might take them and the game's over.

"Going there (Celtic Park] it's always difficult to win, but you try and do your best to win and at least if you do get beat you put up a good show - and we didn't. That's the bit we've got to improve on.To have any chance of winning we have to improve our performance and that's what we've got to concentrate on.

"We'll go there and try to give a better performance, and if we win probably people - not us - will be saying we're genuine title contenders again, so it just shows what a difference a week can make.

"We said it was great for Scottish football when we beat them, and it would have been great if we'd beaten Celtic, but we didn't. We know in those two games both teams played extremely well against us - they said themselves they saw us a threat."

Kevin Kyle is still unavailable because of injury, although he could be back for Hearts' next league game, at Hamilton on Saturday week. Kyle's fellow striker Calum Elliot is out for another two or three weeks, and there is a doubt over left-back Lee Wallace. David Templeton took a knock at Celtic, but would have been rested tonight in any case.