By Mark Atkinson

Copyright scotsman

Hearts are benefitting from having strength and depth right across their squad, according to former captain Christophe Berra. The Jambos currently lead the Scottish Premiership by two points after six rounds of fixtures and are two points clear of defending champions Celtic. Rangers, meanwhile, are nine points adrift after their own poor start to the campaign. Excitement levels are building around Hearts over a sustained challenge to the Old Firm stranglehold, boosted by Brighton owner Tony Bloom’s investment in the Tynecastle club and a tie-up with his player data firm Jamestown Analytics. Hearts made 11 new signings during the summer transfer window and Berra believes that the arrival of players such as striker Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis help take the burden away from club captain Lawrence Shankland, who has been the team’s chief source of goals for the past three seasons. “In previous years, Hearts were relying on Lawrence Shankland too much,” said Berra. “And when he didn’t do so well last year, they were affected big-time. But now they’ve got players throughout the whole pitch that can score goals. “Two wide men, centre-backs who score and set pieces are a big threat for Hearts just now as well. So they’ve definitely got a lot more threats going forward now. Whereas before, if you nullify Lawrence then you’re basically taking 90 per cent of the goals out of the team. Now they’ve got goals all over the park, so they’re going to be a different beast to deal with.” Berra feels that one of the best ‘signings’ of the summer was convincing Shankland to remain at Hearts following the expiry of his contract. He agreed a fresh three-year deal and recently became the record goalscorer in the SPFL era. “Keeping Lawrence was a great bit of business,” continued Berra. “He’s tried and tested in the Scottish Premiership, he’s going to score goals. But his all-round play for this Hearts team is terrific – his hold-up play, bringing players into the game, seeing a pass, giving assists. “He’s a focal point. He’s done it at Dundee United, moved abroad and maybe it wasn’t a success. That may be the surroundings or maybe the team wasn’t that good, I don’t know. But at Tynecastle, he’s been a big success. Sometimes the grass isn’t always greener. He may have had his options but he’s well loved at Tynecastle. “If he continues here for the next three years, he’ll go down as a legend – he may be already up in that kind of category with the goals he’s scored. But if he keeps on doing it, he can have a big place in a lot of the fans’ hearts going forward in history.” Berra also had words of praise for central defender Craig Halkett, who has recovered from a succession of injuries to be one of manager Derek McInnes’ main centre-halves. The duo played together during Berra’s second spell at Hearts between 2019 and 2021 and is pleased to see the 30-year-old flourishing. “I think he’s always had that quality,” said McInnes. “It’s a shame he’s picked up so many injuries. That’s not allowed him to be consistent in his performances and play regularly. “I think you want your centre-backs and probably your central midfielders to play 90 per cent of your games. If they’re chopping and changing every two or three games, it’s difficult to get a bit of consistency. If he stays fit through the season, he’s going to be a big asset like he has been so far. “He knows himself that he needs to stay fit and I’m sure he’s doing everything outwith playing at the weekend to make sure he’s in the best condition possible.” Chris Sutton, Kris Boyd and Steven Naismith feature as the hosts of The Warm-Up, William Hill’s weekly YouTube show and podcast. Check out the latestepisodes here: https://www.youtube.com/@WilliamHillSPFL