Costa Rican forward Kenneth Vargas today completed an initial loan move to Hearts from CS Herediano with the option of a future permanent transfer. He becomes the sixth new arrival at Tynecastle Park this summer after an eagerly-awaited move across the Atlantic Ocean.
The player arrived in Edinburgh on Saturday evening and was given a tour of Hearts’ facilties at Riccarton and Tynecastle over the weekend. He is now ready to start his career in earnest in Scotland.
Vargas turned 21 in April and is one of Costa Rica’s highly-rated youngsters. He has represented his country at under-23 level and hopes moving to Europe will help him break into the senior international team. He can operate as a winger or central striker and is known for his impressive turn of speed.
Hearts have already added goalkeeper Michael McGovern, defender Frankie Kent, midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof, plus forwards Kyosuke Tagawa and Alex Lowry to their squad since last season. One or two other new recruits are expected to arrive before the transfer window closes at the end of August.
“We’re all very excited by Kenneth’s arrival,” said the Hearts head coach Frankie McAvoy on the official club website. “He’s a promising young talent with great experience for such a young player. He’ll bolster our forward areas and expand our depth in terms of attacking. He’s been in and met everyone, got a warm welcome and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Technical director Steven Naismith explained that the Edinburgh club will give the new arrival all the necessary time to settle and adapt in Scotland. “Kenneth travelled to Scotland over the weekend so we’ll now start the process of bedding him into the group,” he said. “He’s coming from halfway across the world so he may need time to settle in but we’ll make it as smooth a transition as possible for him.
“He got some great attributes and is clearly talented. We think we can improve him as a player and he can help take the team to where we want to go.”
Hearts sporting director Joe Savage stated that the club were starting to explore the Central America market: “We’re really happy to get Kenneth over to Hearts,” said Savage. “It’s another deal that’s taken time and a lot of hard work so my thanks go out to everyone involved, and we certainly believe Kenneth will be worth it.
“Central America is a new market for us but we’ve never been afraid to explore all of our options in the search for talent and value. I’m sure the fans will be excited as we are to watch Kenneth pull on the maroon jersey for the first time and show us what he can do.”
Vargas has been called into the full Costa Rica squad without winning a senior cap as yet. He came through the Herediano youth system and spent time on loan at Municipal Grecia before re-establishing himself back at his parent club. He scored 14 goals in 67 appearances during 18 months in Herediano’s first team but will now continue his career in Europe.
