New right-back Altena ‘can thrive’ at Hearts

Right-back Jordi Altena from RKC Waalwijk will join Heart of Midlothian for an undisclosed fee on January 1, with Tynecastle manager Derek McInnes stating the club needed to move quickly to sign the defender.

The 22-year-old former Vitesse Arnhem player has signed a deal through the summer of 2029 and has made more than 50 senior appearances.

He might be available for Saturday’s Livingston game, provided clearance is obtained.

McInnes’ team leads the top flight by three points, but second-placed Celtic travel to Motherwell on Tuesday night to play their final game.

We therefore had to choose. What Jordi’s viewers thought was the best. He is obviously a good age. From that full-back position, he poses a lot of attacking threats.

Once we showed a little interest, it became apparent that there were other clubs showing interest as well as him once we flagged up.

He has good quality, he claims. Excellent ball handling and technique. Good willpower and footwork. He can thrive with us in the right team, in the right setting.

Islam Chesnokov, a 26-year-old winger from Kazakhstan, is expected to arrive in Scotland before the weekend, but it will likely take him a while to get used to the Scottish game once he’s finished his transfer from Tobol.

Islam will enter, McInnes said, “He’ll fly in on Friday before the game.” Saturday at Tynecastle, he’ll be there. Again, it’s likely to take two or three days before we can register him. That aspect is beyond our control. However, we anticipate eventually bringing him here.

He’s probably the manager I’ve spoken to most throughout my career, and I haven’t had the opportunity to meet him. So we’re really looking forward to welcoming him in and making an announcement as well.

“There has been a problem with the wide right.” I mentioned this when I first arrived: I believe wide right has been a problem for the last few seasons at Hearts.

The club anticipated his arrival in the summer, but it was unavoidable.

Craig Gordon, a goalkeeper for Scotland, has only played once for his nation this season.

In the January window, McInnes does not want to lose Gordon, who turns 43 on Wednesday.

McInnes explained the significance of the interest in Craig. Because he is Scotland’s goalkeeper, and what about his profile?

He is our goalkeeper, he says. At the beginning of the season, he wasn’t fit. Alex Schweolow was in, and we brought him.

He does a good job of training. It is remarkable. to continue with professionalism and motivation. For that, he merits a lot of praise.

Nobody has inquired about a potential loan move for Gordon, according to McInnes.

Craig continued, “Craig never made any hints about wanting to leave on loan.”

“We may be in for a fantastic season,” Hearts says. This season, in our opinion, we can really do something. Everyone in the group is having fun. Craig is undoubtedly eager to play his part. He enjoys both being present and what he has witnessed, though.

When he wasn’t playing for us, he was Steve Clarke’s choice for Scotland’s goalkeeper. His goal is to make Alex more frequently available. All positions require healthy competition.