Joe Savage outlines Kye Rowles Hearts transfer timeline and explains John Souttar effect on Aussie's move

The Tynecastle sporting director also explained how Alan Forrest convinced Robbie Neilson he was a Hearts playing in waiting

Joe Savage has revealed that Kye Rowles was Hearts’ first choice as soon as they knew John Souttar was leaving.

The Aussie defender has signed a three-year deal with the Jambos subject to international clearance.

He’s long been on Savage and Robbie Neilson’s radar, but they decided to make their move as soon as Souttar sealed a pre-contract switch to Rangers.

Rowles will join fellow Aussies Cammy Devlin and Nathaniel Atkinson in the squad ahead of their return to the Europa League next season.

The defence could be further bolstered by the addition of Lewis Neilson, who is in talks with the Tynecastle team after rejecting a new contract offer from Dundee United.

But Savage insisted that Rowles was always top of the list when it came to centre backs.

“Kye is someone we’ve been tracking since the days we were watching Cammy Devlin and Nate [Atkinson],” he explained.

‘We knew we needed a centre back but we didn;t want to move on it last season because of what we were doing.

“We kept an eye on Kyle all the way through. As soon as we knew John Souttar was leaving and Taylor Moore was returning to Bristol City, became the instant first choice we wanted to sign.

“We like the way he plays and his character. The Australian market’s been really good for us and we feel in Kyle that we’ve got a good centre back that we can develop and improve.”

Rowles follows Alan Forrest to Gorgie after the former Livingston winger was announced as the first summer addition last week.

He’s another Savage has been keen on for a while and his displays for the Lions last term only strengthened the Jambos’ resolve to land him.

“He was one of the main targets we had once the season finished,” Savage told Hearts TV. “We’re always respectful of other clubs so we didn't want to speak to him before this season finished.

“We asked Livingston for permission and they granted it. We spoke to Alan and got it signed and sealed.

“We were really impressed with Alan when he played against us. His workrate, ability to run off the ball, desire to hit the box and score goals. It’s something Robbie was really keen that we brought into the team.

“Alan caught our eye quite early on in the season so we tracked him and continued to watch him. He got better and better, with seven goals which shows that he knows where the goal is. We need that, goals spread throughout the team.

“He’s proven in the Premiership, which I think is definitely required. We also think his game can go up again.”