Sporting director Graeme Jones has defended Hearts' decision to allow Rangers-bound striker Lawrence Shankland a break clause as he looked forward to the team's evolution without their talismanic captain.
Supporters of the Tynecastle club were stunned to learn the Scotland forward, who had opted to sign a new three-year contract with the Jambos last July, after they took advantage of a loophole in his deal allowing him to leave for free this summer.
Shankland scored 20 goals in the season just finished as Hearts were pipped to the Scottish Premiership title by Celtic on the final day.
Explaining the decision to allow the 30-year-old the chance to walk away from his Hearts contract to sign for their rivals, Jones said in a club interview: "The situation with Lawrence a year ago was actually quite simple: we as a club had to make a calculation on whether we wanted to keep Lawrence or not.
"And the only way in which we could keep him was with the deal that was agreed in the end. The calculation was made up of the fact that if we were very successful as a team and Lawrence was very successful on the park, the risk would be that we would lose him at the end of the first season.
"And I accept that that may be difficult to hear, but I defy anybody to push back against the fact that it was the correct decision for the club that Derek (McInnes, head coach) and I took, whereby we had Lawrence for the year, he scored 20 goals and his leadership on and off the park was of the highest level.
"I naturally understand the disappointment that our fans will feel at losing their captain and their striker, but it was the only deal in which it was going to be possible for us to move forward.
"I back the decision that we made and I'm thankful for the year that we had with Lawrence, but like all teams, they evolve past players, and I'm excited by the evolution of this team going into the summer, of the players that we will bring in and the things that we can achieve going forward."
Jones expects clarity on the future of Australia midfielder Cammy Devlin, who is out of contract but still in talks with Hearts about the possibility of a new deal.
"The situation is ongoing, so discussions are still in place with Cammy's representatives and there are positive discussions," Jones said. "I would hope that we will have some form of closure in respect of him staying or leaving in the coming week or so."
Hearts have already recruited Josh McPake and MJ Kamson-Kamara this summer, with Tom Renaud and Calvin Miller also set to sign.
Jones added: "We've got many more that we have planned and upcoming. Naturally I'm not going to disclose the specifics on anything, but I would hope that fans can be excited with a number of new signings in the coming weeks."
For everything that Rangers gain, Hearts lose.
It is fair to say Shankland was the best striker in Scotland last season. Had he not missed two months of the campaign due to a hamstring injury, those goalscoring returns would be even better.
Shankland departs with 88 goals in 171 games for the club. Not only that, he was the leader in the group that so many turned to.
Replacing a captain is hard enough. Filling the void of 20-plus goals a season adds to the challenge facing Hearts head coach Derek McInnes.
For all of Jamestown Analytics' power, plus McInnes' knowledge of the market, Hearts might need to find a couple of summer additions to step up and replace the man who wore the No 9 jersey at Tynecastle.
Already thinking about the 2026/27 Scottish Premiership season?
There's a to fit in first - follow live blogs of every game on the - but the key dates are locked in for next term, when Your Site will once again show you the best of the action.
Here's your summer diary:
June 11: World Cup starts -
June 14:
June 15: Summer transfer window opens
June 18: Scottish Premiership fixtures released (noon)
July 19: World Cup final
August 1-2: Scottish Premiership opening weekend
September 1: Transfer Deadline Day (window closes at 11pm UK time)
April 10-11, 2027: Final pre-split Scottish Premiership fixtures
May 15-16, 2027: Scottish Premiership final day
