New Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken has wasted little time in setting out his ambition at Tynecastle, with the Belgian making it clear his side will aim to compete with Celtic and Rangers again this season.
Hearts pushed closer than most expected last term before Celtic eventually got over the line, but the Edinburgh club have since gone through major change. Derek McInnes has left for Rangers, key players have moved on, and Vrancken arrives as something of an unknown quantity in Scottish football.
Heart of Midlothian is delighted to confirm the appointment of Wouter Vrancken as our new Head Coach.
The highly regarded Belgian takes the Tynecastle reins after signing a two-year deal with the Jambos.
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— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) June 25, 2026
That could go one of two ways. He may prove to be a clever appointment who builds on last season’s work, or Hearts could find out quickly that Scottish football brings its own demands. Either way, his first message was clear enough.
Speaking to the Daily Record, Vrancken said: “Same thing I think. To compete with the Glasgow teams and to try to overachieve again.
“Try to have a good season and try to fight for the top spots.
“You cannot copy the results of course from season to season.
“We are responsible with the staff, with the players to create a spark in the stadium.
“From the first minute you have to show that you want to fight for the logo, fight for the colours.”
It was not a direct dig at Celtic, but it was a clear statement of intent from a manager walking into a club that had a smell of the title race last season and wants another go. For Celtic, that should be enough of a reminder that standing still is not an option.
Vrancken added: “And when people see this they will get your back, they will jump behind you to support you and to have this atmosphere.
“And then you get the synergy and then it comes back on the pitch, you can do even more and then you can overachieve is my experience.
“So we’re trying for sure to create those things and just that they be there when we give the spark that they be there to create this.
“We will fight our best and you have the smell a little bit of the title last year.
“So that’s the nicest thing to play for. Everybody wants to play for those spots and we have to try our best now to get the level in what we want to see in Hearts, what I want to see.
“So first being as good as possible in this and then let’s try to have a great season again.”
Celtic should not be panicking over Hearts talking themselves up in June. The champions remain the team everyone else is trying to catch. But there is a difference between calm and drift, and Celtic still have far too many loose ends heading into pre-season.
There have been no confirmed first-team signings, while the coaching structure is still not fully settled. The club still need clarity around the assistant and first-team coach roles, there is no confirmed head of football operations, and Gavin Strachan’s exit has left another gap, including the set-piece side of the operation.
That is the frustration. Hearts have changed manager and reshaped their squad. Rangers have made their move for McInnes. Celtic, meanwhile, still look like a club with plenty happening in the background but not enough landing in public view.
Vrancken may be talking up Hearts because that is his job. Celtic’s job is to make sure last season’s late pressure does not become this season’s early problem. The best answer to any noise from Tynecastle or Ibrox is not a statement. It is signings, structure and a football department that looks ready for the season ahead.
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