Why five Hearts players could miss out on squad for Europe

We’ve previously examined the Heart of Midlothian squad in great detail, assessing the team’s depth, development and transfer potential. But there’s another balance that needs to be struck. One that will become very important over the next couple of months as Steven Naismith’s fine-tunes his squad for the new campaign.

A minimum of eight European fixtures await in the 2024/25 season after Hearts cantered to third place, and attention will quickly turn to ensuring that Gorgie’s finest are suitably well prepared for their continental adventures next term. But it isn’t simply a case of bringing in anyone and everyone. Like we said earlier: balance is everything.

You see, playing in European competition is different from domestic duty. There aren’t any limitations placed on your squad in the Premiership, and there’s nothing stopping a club from signing up dozens and dozens of recruits each summer. But in Europe, where UEFA’s squad registration rules come into effect? That’s a different matter altogether.

READ MORE: Hearts in Europe: Finances, opponents, and why Conference League could be best

Just ask Jorge Grant. The Englishman was initially included in the European squad last season and featured against Rosenborg in the qualifiers. But when Hearts advanced to the Conference League play-off round, the midfielder was cut to make space for Kenneth Vargas. The reason was simple: Hearts had too many foreign-trained players to meet UEFA’s squad registration requirements, and so someone had to miss out. On this occasion, Grant was left clutching the short straw.

Let’s start by going over the rules. There are two squad registration lists that any team competing in Europe must submit to UEFA. List A is the main one, where a club can select up to 25 players, but there are some caveats to this that we will explore shortly. Then there’s the B list, for players who are under the age of 21 and have been at the club for three years in total. There’s no limit on the B list, and you can name as many players as you like. Last season, for instance, the B list was made up entirely of players from Hearts B.

There are, however, conditions that have to be met on List A. Of the 25 players selected, four must be club-trained (meaning they spent three consecutive seasons at the club between the ages of 15 and 21) and a further four must be locally trained (meaning they spent three years at an SFA-registered club between the ages of 15 and 21). If you can’t fill your quota, then your overall squad size is penalised accordingly. If you are missing four club-trained players, for instance, then you can only name 21 players on List A. If you’re only missing three, then you can have a maximum squad size of 22. And so on. 

This is the rule that ultimately cost Grant his place for the double-header against PAOK. UEFA’s restrictions meant that Hearts only named 23 players on the A list. Grant was on it to begin with but a couple of changes could be made before the play-off, and Naismith decided that Vargas – who was unregistered for the previous round’s games against Rosenborg – would be more useful, and so Grant had to make way.

Hearts were fairly well stocked for locally-trained players (eight were included in the final European squad) but a dearth of club-trained players proved costly. Of the 23 players on List A, only two – Craig Gordon and Aidan Denholm – counted as club-trained. And even then, Denholm could have been included in List B due to his age. If he’s named in List A, then that takes care of a homegrown slot. Include him in the B list, and you don’t give up a space in List A – but you still lose a place for not having enough club-trained youngsters. List B players can be named on List A, but it doesn’t make any material difference.

It will be a similar story this summer. Home-grown players that are eligible to be included on List A are few and far between. In fact, Craig Gordon is the only one. B team graduates like Denholm, Macaulay Tait and Finlay Pollock do technically fit the bill, but their ages mean they can be included on the B list, and there’s no advantage to be gained from naming them on List A. This presents a problem for Naismith, as it cuts List A down to 22.

It’s the same restriction that was placed on the team last summer, but the effect has become more pronounced in the intervening 12 months. Last season, that meant just one first-team player missing out on Europe. But with a host of pre-contract signings arriving, early additions in the window and few outgoings thus far, that figure has risen to five.

Take a look at the above graphic that shows the current state of play for the Hearts squad in terms of their European eligibility. We’ve removed players that are eligible for the B list, who can be registered without imposition anyway. You can arrange the squad by position or by their eligibilty status by clicking the box at the bottom.

There are 27 players in total and as we’ve already said, Gordon is the only club-trained player so that reduces the overall size of List A to 22. Hearts are, however, well stocked for association-trained players and have nine in total. This figure has risen from last season due to Craig Halkett’s comeback from injury, Lewis Neilson returning from his loan spell at Partick Thistle, and the arrivals of James Penrice and Blair Spittal; counterbalancing the departures of Michael McGovern, Andy Halliday and Alex Lowry, all of whom were included on the A List as locally-trained players last season.

READ MORE: Hearts summer transfers: What are the positions the club will look to strengthen

The make-up of the squad will change between now and August when the lists have to be submitted as players come and go, but as it stands the squad is too big. Five players will have to be left out, and that figure will rise to six when Hearts’ pursuit of Gerald Taylor gets over the line. 

Third-choice goalkeeper Ryan Fulton would seem to be an obvious place to start (do you really need three senior goalkeepers in the squad?), and Hearts are similarly well-stocked at centre-back, right-back and central midfield. Add in the fact that the likes of Denholm, Tait and Pollock can be included on the B list, and midfield appears to be an area where Naismith may be forced to swing the axe.

With Hearts waiting until the play-off round of the Europa League to kick off their continental campaign, time is on Naismith’s side. The squad lists do not have to be submitted to UEFA until Friday 16 August, and a couple of changes can be made thereafter before the next squad registration deadline (for the league phase) on Tuesday 4 September.

The players’ performances in training over the next month or so will ultimately determine who makes the cut, as will the whims of the market now that the transfer window is open. It would be no surprise if Hearts played in excess of 50 games in the forthcoming campaign and Naismith will need a sizeable squad to meet those demands - but until there are further departures, five (and likely six) players will be sticking to domestic football in the new season.