Ex-Hearts boss Csaba Laszlo provides Shankland verdict as Bristol City join Birmingham City in SPFL ace chase

Csaba Laszlo | SNS Group

Hearts have had the chance to bring in some new signings this summer.

They finished 3rd in the Scottish Premiership table behind Celtic and Rangers in this past season, and have made four so far. Meanwhile, Hibs are preparing for life under new boss David Gray. Here is a look at some of the latest news from around the division...

Striker in shop window

Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland has been assessed by former Tynecastle boss Csaba Laszlo ahead of Scotland’s crunch Euro 2024 clash with Hungary. Steve Clarke’s side need to win to stand the best chance of progressing through their group. They lost to Germany in their first game but drew 1-1 with Switzerland last time out.

Shankland has been limited to two substitute appearances so far but could play a key part in their remaining fixture.

Laszlo has said, as per the Scottish Sun: "Shankland is a different player to the one I saw in Belgium. I was in the frame to be the Beerschot coach. I knew the team well — they also had Frederic Frans who I had at Dundee United — and had many conversations with the sporting directors. "They asked me a lot about Shankland. The question came up because, practically, he failed. But I believed that he didn't get the trust from the coaches. He was on the bench often. His career in Europe was seen as a failure but he's a guy who you MUST trust. If he doesn't feel that trust he's not the player who will help you. "In that sense, he is a bit of a mystery. But I am very curious if he wants to go abroad again. He could do better next time. He has some similarity with the Hungary No. 9 Varga because Shankland was discovered very late for the national team. "And for a long time no one believed that he could be a national player. He's not the first choice for Scotland yet. But he's ALWAYS good for a goal — any time. He's a fighter, a goalscorer and really good with his head. If Shankland comes into the game, he brings lots of positive energy."

Aberdeen man targeted

Aberdeen could face a battle to keep hold of key forward Bojan Miovski over the next couple of months.

BristolLive claim Bristol City are long-term admirers and looked into a deal last January. Meanwhile, The Scottish Sun have claimed that Birmingham City and Bologna are also interested.

The 24-year-old joined the Dons in 2022 and has since fired 44 goals in all competitions, 26 of which came in the last campaign.

New faces at Dundee

Dundee have swooped to land three new faces to bolster their ranks. They have snapped up defender Clark Robertson on a free transfer.

Goalkeeper Jon McCracken has moved back following his loan spell from Norwich City. He cut ties with the Canaries following the end of last term and subsequently became a free agent.

Finally, attacker Seb Palmer-Houlden has also joined Tony Doherty’s side from Bristol City on a season-long loan.