Hearts seal long-awaited deal for Kazakhstan star Islam Chesnokov

Hearts have announced the transfer of Islam Chesnokov has been completed on a deal until the summer of 2028.

It emerged last summer that the 26-year-old winger, capped 22 times for Kazakhstan, had agreed a pre-contract with the William Hill Premiership leaders.

Chesnokov arrived in Edinburgh on Saturday and had his UK Visa provisionally approved at a meeting in Glasgow on Monday, with Hearts finally able to announce his much-hyped arrival on Tuesday evening.

“I’m really pleased that Islam is here, he’s a Hearts player and he’s raring to get started,” manager Derek McInnes told the Jambos’ website.

“Our desire to bring Islam in has been well documented and sometimes these things take a bit of time, but the dialogue between myself, the club and Islam has always been there. There was never any panic and everyone involved deserves a lot of credit for making it happen.

“He’s a very talented player and a good boy, and we think he can come in and help the team. We’re in a good place and we’ll do everything we can to enable Islam to be a success at Hearts.”

Chesnokov, Hearts’ second January signing following the arrival of Jordi Altena, will come into contention for a debut away to Dundee on Sunday if the relevant paperwork is completed in time.