One look from a Fiorentina director over lunch confirmed what Andrew McKinlay already suspected.That even though it was the third tier of European competition, Hearts had jumped into a whole new stratosphere in terms of playing with the big boys in the Europa Conference League.
A modest million quid spent in the summer transfer window might have had the Viola bigwig choking on his calzone but it’s still serious dough in Scottish football terms.
Hearts are ready to spend again in the coming window as they chase a return to European football and a successive third-place finish for only the second time in McKinlay’s life.
Callum Patterson was confirmed as a player of interest while chief executive McKinlay revealed the Jambos were well ahead with their planning for next month’s window.It’s all helped by regular helpings of European football of course - this season's Conference group stage brought a £3m profit.
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