The I's have been dotted and the T's have been crossed on Gerald Taylor’s contract with Heart of Midlothian. The Costa Rican full-back, who represented his country at this summer’s Copa America, moves to EH11 on a similar deal to the one offered to his compatriot Kenneth Vargas a year ago. Taylor will initially join on a season-long loan, with Hearts then able to exercise a clause to make the move permanent the following summer, should they want to.

The try-before-you-buy deal worked well in Vargas’ case, and the hope among Steven Naismith and his coaching staff is that history will repeat itself at Tynecastle Park in the upcoming season. The jump from the Costa Rican top flight to the Scottish Premiership is a sizable one but as Taylor has typically met such challenges head-on during his career.

It wasn’t so long ago that the 23-year-old was plying his trade in the second tier in his homeland, yet he moves to Gorgie having been an important member of Deportivo Saprissa’s championship-winning side and as a full Costa Rican internationalist. The hope for Naismith is that the versatile defender’s upward trajectory continues unabated in the capital – and the early indications are encouraging indeed.

Take a look at the radar above, which gives an idea of what Taylor is all about and shows how he compares to his contemporaries in the Costa Rican top flight. He has a remarkable record in defensive 1v1 situations and is only dribbled past 15 per cent of the time (ranking in the 97th percentile in this regard) and completes an above average amount of tackles and interceptions. Taylor is strong at carrying the ball forward and there is no doubting his work-rate (he scores highly for pressures per game) but he could offer more on the ball at times. His passing on-ball value is below average, and there isn’t much in the way of final product, as evidenced by his relatively low xG assisted.

The stats would seem to confirm what many suspect: Taylor is a talented player with plenty of potential, but one who remains a rough diamond in need of a little polishing up. The seven-times capped Costa Rica internationalist’s data is encouraging, but one big question remains: does he pass the eye test?

In a word: yes. Watching Taylor in action, it becomes clear that the data provides an accurate assessment in this instance. The defender – who can play at centre-half, right-back and right wing-back – is tall, quick, and aggressive in the tackle. Taylor is energetic too, spending the majority of games shuttling up and down the right flank, and he is keen to get forward to support the attack when the opportunity presents itself. He could perhaps be a little more effective in the final third but there is no doubt that with a little fine-tuning, Hearts could have a real player on their hands.

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We’ll start with Taylor’s bread and butter: defending. As we pointed out earlier, Hearts’ seventh summer signing is very solid in 1v1 duels but these aren’t the easiest to demonstrate using annotated screenshots. What we can show, though, is just how aggressive Taylor tends to be when attempting to win the ball back.

Take a look at the example below from a CONCACAF Champions Cup (the Central and North American equivalent of the Champions League) fixture against Philadelphia Union of the MLS. It starts with the Americans (wearing black) building out from the back as the centre-half plays a weighted ball forward into feet.

It’s hard to capture Taylor’s speed using screenshots, but we’ve given it a go nonetheless. The next still shows Taylor and the ball roughly equidistant from the receiver. By the time the Philadelphia player gets the ball, Taylor is right up his backside.

The Philadelphia man decides to take a touch, and Taylor pounces. He gets his foot in and the heavy challenge launches a counter-attack for Saprissa.

Here’s another typical example, this time from Costa Rica’s final fixture at the Copa America against Paraguay last week. Paraguay are on the attack and Taylor, playing as a wing-back with a back three behind him, is poised to strike.

The ball is eventually worked wide and Taylor leaps into action, immediately haring after his man and forcing him backwards.

Taylor gets tight and tries to win the ball but the Paraguay player uses his body well to shield the ball.

Undeterred, Taylor keeps up the chase, forcing his opponent back further still before lunging in once again.

Again, he can’t quite reach it – and so this time he retreats back into position.

In possession, Taylor is forward-thinking and likes to get up the park. He seems to enjoy drawing in the opposition full-back before playing a one-two and bursting in behind. He tried it on a couple of occasions against Paraguay, only to be let down by some sloppy passing from his team-mates.

Below is an example. Costa Rica have the ball in a decent position and Paraguay are pressing hard to win it back when Taylor receives the ball out wide.

The full-back is applying pressure and the passing lane to the central midfielder has been closed off, but Taylor shifts the ball onto his left and plays it up to the striker. The opposing full-back has over-committed and Taylor can now barrel into the highlighted area unopposed.

The return pass is poor, though, and the Paraguay centre-half sweeps up.

A couple of minutes pass and a similar situation presents itself. This time Costa Rica are building out from the back when the ball is played wide to Taylor.

The Paraguay player comes steaming in and Taylor again looks for the one-two.

It’s once again a fairly simple pass – anywhere in the highlighted area will do – but the Costa Rican makes a hash of it and the ball is intercepted.

Taylor is still on his bike though, and determined to win it back as the Paraguay player darts infield with the wing-back haring after him.

Taylor goes to ground and looks to get a toe to it, but another Paraguayan is at hand to collect the loose ball.

Taylor doesn’t create all that much from open play on a regular basis, but that isn’t to say he is incapable of doing so. He can really thread the needle when a chance rears its head; the challenge at Hearts is to do it consistently.

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Look at the example below, which neatly demonstrates the raw attributes that Taylor possesses and his forward-thinking attitude. Taylor is playing at centre-half and Saprissa are building out from the back with their opponents placing virtually no pressure on the ball whatsoever.

Taylor decides to carry the ball forward, driving past the striker.

With no pressure on him, he has time to pick his next move, and spots his team-mate darting in behind.

The execution is excellent – and now Saprissa are through on goal.

Below is another example, this time from the home leg of Saprissa’s Champions Cup tie with Philadelphia Union. The Costa Ricans have won a goal kick and the keeper plays it short to Taylor, even though the visitors are high up the park.

Taylor, playing at centre-back, doesn’t have long to decide what to do. A Philadelphia player goes charging in but Taylor is unruffled, cutting inside before barging his way past the forward.

He draws another Philadelphia player towards the ball but Taylor isn’t finished yet. He takes a big touch, playing the ball ahead of him into the empty space, and sprints round the other side of his opponent, easily winning the subsequent footrace.

Similarly to our previous example, the through ball to the striker is once again on. This time, however, Taylor hesitates before ultimately opting for the safe option.

Naismith will be keen to encourage Taylor to take a few more risks in possession, and the defender’s pace and strength makes him a formidable ball carrier. Crucially, Taylor has another string to his bow that should prove helpful in keeping the opposition guessing: he’s pretty handy with his left foot too.

As a wing-back, Taylor understandably doesn’t get many goals but he has shown a penchant for cutting inside and scoring from distance on his weaker foot. Take a look at the example below from a league game in Costa Rica.

Saprissa have plenty of men forward and are probing for a gap. Taylor’s taken up a good position out wide and is the spare man, and so the ball is dinked out to him.

Usually, Taylor would then attack the highlighted area, using his pace to breeze past an opponent before hooking the ball into the box.

This time, though, he cuts inside and shoots early, rifling the ball in at the near post.

It was no fluke, either. Here’s a similar goal from another league fixture. Saprissa are on the attack once more, and Taylor is once again the free man out wide as the ball is shifted out to him.

He advances to the edge of the box and shapes as though he is going to play a short ball in at the near post before turning back on himself with a clever feint, leaving his markers for dead.

Taylor again hits it early – and this time the ball whistles into the top corner of the far post.

Scoring goals from distance isn’t exactly in the job description for a wing-back, and it should be emphasised that it’s not as if Taylor is doing this every other week. But it does tell us that he is capable of cutting inside and using his weaker foot. If you can score scorchers from distance, after all, you can surely play a pass or cross the ball too. There were times last season where Nathaniel Atkinson’s reluctance to use his left made the defender’s forays forward one-dimensional and predictable, but Taylor looks far more confident and comfortable when cutting inside.

All in all, Taylor appears to tick pretty every box for what Steven Naismith looks for in a wing-back. Fast? Check. Strong? Check. Aggressive? Check. Forward-thinking? Check. A ball carrier? Check. The one aspect of Taylor’s game that needs some work is becoming a more effective presence in the final third and creating more for his team-mates, and Hearts’ lopsided approach means that he should get plenty of opportunities to do just that.

Taylor’s rise to prominence has been rapid and if he can continue that trajectory at Tynecastle then it won’t be long before he establishes himself as a key player at Hearts. Right-back was a problem position for Naismith last season – and Taylor might just provide the solution.