Derek McInnes has opened talks with Rangers – and his public stance on establishing a 'Scottish core' of players aligns perfectly with Andrew Cavenagh's transfer plans for the summer.
We broke the bombshell news today the Hearts boss, fresh off a thrilling title battle with Celtic, is ready to hear Rangers out over replacing Danny Rohl.
The German remains in post as things stand but he's closing in on a move to RB Salzburg, with McInnes – who also held talks over the job in 2017 – a top target.
Cavenagh admitted earlier this summer that the club have a 'pro-Scottish bias' in their recruitment strategy and that's already taken root with the signing of Lawrence Shankland from the Jambos.
And he's unlikely to have any resistance from McInnes if it is the 54-year-old in the Ibrox hotseat.
McInnes firmly believes in the importance of establishing a 'Scottish core' of players. Hearts themselves have just signed Calvin Miller from Falkirk and built much of their success last season on domestic stars like Shankland, Harry Milne, Craig Halkett and Stuart Findlay.
Speaking last summer shortly after he was unveiled as Hearts manager, McInnes told fans that would be something he would lean into.
McInnes said: “There is a good environment here and it helps that we have a Scottish core, because I always think Hearts should have that. They drive the standards and that’s the way it should be going forward.
“We're a Scottish club. We have got to make sure there's a core of Scottish players, ideally full of our academy players, where you get that maximum return in terms of value and maximum return in terms of performance.
“The academy is going to be so important to produce our own. If they don't come from our own academy, then we should still have a core of real Scottish players because not every player that signs for Hearts has got to be visiting on their way.
“They've got to want to hang about, maximise their potential, enjoy being a Hearts player, keep driving the club forward. And hopefully with that, we can try and get the balance right.”
That will be a selling point in the eyes of Cavenagh, who admitted last month that signing Scottish players will be a priority this summer.
As far as domestic players go, Rangers have Shankland, John Souttar, Connor Barron and Liam Kelly as well as returning loanees Findlay Curtis and Lyall Cameron.
If Cavenagh is to be believed then that number may well rise.
He said: “We have a pro-Scottish bias in the club today. Meaning if you have two players roughly equal and one is Scottish, we will take the Scottish player.
“When we look at what positions we are filling, we don’t start with people, we start with profiles. What positions is it, what type of person is it? An athletic centre-back or a ball-winning centre-back, for example. How big, how fast?
“We are always asking 'who is Scottish that fits that profile?' Every time we are looking at that. That’s not to say we can just go out and grab 11 Scots off the street and win the title. It is a bias towards Scottish players, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only criteria we look at to build a winning team.
“I would say we equally look at an SPFL bias. If we’re looking at two players who are roughly similar and one has extensive SPFL experience against one does not, we would take the SPFL-experienced player.”
