Hearts are closing in on the appointment of Belgian Manager of the Year Wouter Vrancken as their new head coach.
The 47-year-old is poised to take charge at Tynecastle after leaving his hometown club, Sint-Truiden, earlier this summer. Vrancken guided the Belgian side to a third-place finish in the Pro League last season their highest league position in six decades during his first full campaign in charge.
Hearts have been searching for a new manager following Derek McInnes' departure to Rangers last week. McInnes led the Edinburgh club to a second-place finish last season, narrowly missing out on a first league title since 1960 as Celtic clinched the championship on the final day.
Vrancken is now set to embark on his first managerial role outside Belgium after building an impressive reputation in his homeland. He previously enjoyed a successful spell with Genk, leading them to the brink of the Belgian title in 2023.
His coaching journey began in Belgium's lower divisions before he returned to the top flight as an assistant coach at Kortrijk, one of his former clubs. Vrancken's breakthrough came at Mechelen, where he guided the club to promotion and Belgian Cup glory in the same season before securing three consecutive top-eight league finishes.
If appointed, Vrancken will arrive at Hearts with a strong pedigree and a growing reputation as one of Belgium's brightest coaching talents.
