Heart of Midlothian will be hoping to improve following the resumption of the domestic season this weekend, especially considering the club have lost their previous four matches in all competitions.
Steven Naismith might not be under serious pressure at the minute, yet if another couple of poor results follow after the international break, it could well be a different story.
The Jambos have made seven signings this summer, while undergoing a clear-out, moving on eight players, but the results have yet to be seen on the pitch.
Across their nine matches thus far, the Tynecastle side have scored 11 goals while conceding 11, and it proves that despite the new arrivals, they could do with some added dynamism in attack and another solid centre-back.
The club could certainly be left to rue losing former defender John Souttar for nothing last year, especially as his value has soared since joining Glasgow Rangers.
How much did Hearts sign John Souttar for?
The defender made his debut for Dundee United aged just 16 way back in January 2013 and over the next three years he made 73 appearances for the Arabs, emerging as one of the most exciting prospects in Scotland.
This led Hearts to make their move, and they secured his signature for a fee of around £170k, which represented good business by United considering he was developed in their academy.
He was praised by Robbie Nielson following his arrival, who said: “I’m really happy to get John here to Hearts. We see him as one of the brightest young prospects in Scotland, and one who we can develop further.
“John’s a player who we’ve admired for a long time and I’m delighted to secure him. It shows the intent of Hearts to not only develop young players from our own academy, but recruit them too and continue their development.”
Over the next five and a half years, he would prove to be worth the investment.
What happened to John Souttar?
During his spell in Edinburgh, the Scot ended up making 162 appearances, scoring six goals in the process, and it would have been a lot more had he not missed 117 games due to a variety of injury issues.
These ranged from a ruptured Achilles tendon to surgery on an ankle injury with his lowest points coming during 2019 and 2020 as he missed large chunks of two whole campaigns.
The defender showed his resilience to come back stronger than ever by playing a key role for the club during the 2021/22 season.
It began with Souttar scoring a last-minute winner against Celtic in the first Premiership game of the season, and he would add another three goals during the campaign.
Not only that, the 26-year-old won an impressive 5.7 total duels per game – a success rate of 71% – while helping his side keep eight clean sheets too.
His displays meant he achieved a Sofascore rating of 7.3 across 27 matches and this ranked him first out of the whole squad, while he also ranked second for accurate passes per game (44.7), accurate long balls per game (6.3) and second for clearances per game (3.9), showcasing his abilities over a wide range of metrics.
With his contract expiring at the end of the season, Rangers saw the perfect chance to sign him for nothing and made their move in January 2022, announcing his signing on a pre-contract deal which would see him make the switch to Ibrox that summer.
Where is John Souttar now?
Giovanni van Bronckhorst clearly saw Souttar as an ideal partner for Connor Goldson at the heart of the defence, yet disaster soon struck the player as he had to come off at half-time during the opening match of the season against Livingston due to suffering an ankle injury, and it kept him out for 46 matches.
He made his comeback against Motherwell in March and over the final 11 matches, Souttar won 76% of his total duels, averaged 0.8 tackles per game and was dribbled past on just 0.2 occasions per game, displaying a solid if unspectacular return.
The final game of the campaign against St Mirren proved to be arguably his finest in a Gers shirt, as the defender was successful with 100% of his ball carries, while making 11 clearances and Michael Beale heaped plenty of praise on him following the tie, saying: "He's played three games this week and been outstanding. He is a top footballer…"
It marked a wonderful final few months following his injury recovery, and he has carried that form into the current season, currently ranking first in the Light Blues squad for accurate passes per game (63.8) while also ranking second for interceptions per game (1.8) and it's clear that he is beginning to repay the club having missed almost the whole of last term through injury.
How much is John Souttar worth now?
Following his impressive displays towards the end of 2022/23 and into the current season, Souttar’s value has increased steadily and according to the CIES Football Observatory, his current valuation stands at €5m (£4.2m), indicating that the Gers have hit the jackpot on the defender, while Hearts have clearly suffered a major transfer blunder on the player.
Letting him leave for free has proven to be a mistake, and not only due to his current valuation.
His improved performances have seen the Scot emerge as the perfect partner for Goldson at the heart of the Rangers defence and Hearts would certainly love to have him back starring for them.
Having overcome various injury problems throughout his career, it finally looks as though Souttar has managed to get himself settled down and looks to be injury-free for the first time in years.
The better he plays at Ibrox, the Gorgie outfit will be regretting the fact they couldn't tie him down to a long-term deal before he entered the final year of his contract.
Their loss has been Rangers gain and if he continues to improve over the next 12 months, there is no doubt his value will continue to soar.
