New Hearts signing Malachi Fagan-Walcott has described his move from the National League to potential Champions League qualifiers as surreal. The defender, who helped York City win the National League title in April, has signed a four-year contract with the Edinburgh club after a £700,000 deal was agreed.
A Dream Move
Fagan-Walcott, 24, admitted the opportunity was too good to refuse. "It's massive. Champions League is the biggest competition in club football. When you look at it, going from National League to Champions League qualifier in a couple of months - it's surreal. You can't turn that down. You have to grab it with both hands. I just can't wait," he said.
The former Tottenham Hotspur youth player is excited about playing at Tynecastle. "I'm most excited to walk out here at Tynecastle. We got about seven or eight thousand fans at York, and they were loud and it was a good environment. So, I can't wait to see what it feels like being the home team here and experiencing it."
Previous Experience in Scotland
Fagan-Walcott is familiar with Scottish football, having had loan spells at Dundee and Dunfermline. He also played at Tynecastle in 2021 as part of a Dundee side that lost 2-1 to Hearts in the Championship.
Conversations with former Hearts players Malachi Boateng and Daniel Oyegoke convinced him to make the switch. "I spoke to Daniel Oyegoke and Malachi Boateng. They had nothing but good words to say, an unbelievable club, if you get the opportunity, go there, the place is unbelievable and Edinburgh is unbelievable. They just added fuel to the fire to make me want to come here," he explained.
Ambitions for the Season
Fagan-Walcott is eager to help Hearts achieve success. "My goal for the season is just to develop, finish as high as possible in the league, go and do what I need to do to help my teammates and help the club have the best season they possibly can."
Having won the National League with York, he is hungry for more silverware. "It was a pretty special season, a special group. We just came out every game, and no one could beat us. We made it to the play-offs the season before but lost 3-0 at home. We were devastated. We used that fuel and next season came out every game, nobody could beat us. That's the mindset we had as a group and we went on to win a league."
The 6ft 2in defender becomes Hearts' fifth summer signing and is determined to make an immediate impact.
