Heart of Midlothian released Michael Smith, Gary Mackay-Steven and Ross Stewart from the club following the expiration of their contract at the end of last season and considering the latter two made nine appearances between them during 2022/23, they won't be particularly missed in terms of value to the squad.
Smith, on the other hand, will be a tough one to get over, especially with the right-back turning into a club stalwart of sorts since arriving from Peterborough United back in 2017.
The 34-year-old made over 200 appearances for the Tynecastle outfit during those six years and his departure leaves a big void to fill on the right side of the defence. The only senior right-sided full-back is Nathaniel Atkinson and Naismith will be aiming to bring in an heir to the Northern Irishman sooner rather than later.
With this in mind, the 36-year-old is currently targeting a move for Japanese youngster Riku Handa this summer, with the 21-year-old seemingly keen on a move to Europe, despite only joining his current side, Gamba Osaka, in January.
Could Hearts sign Riku Handa this summer?
Given Smith's departure, any potential move will have to be a priority for Naismith, even if it is just a loan move.
He was recently called up to the Japanese national side for their Kirin Cup, yet didn’t make an appearance, however, it surely won’t be long before he makes his mark on the senior international stage for Japan.
Across 17 appearances in the J1 League in 2023, Handa grabbed an assist and averaged 0.9 key passes per game while creating three big chances, showcasing his ability to push forward as often as possible and these statistics are actually an improvement on the numbers Smith generated last term.
Indeed, for context, the former Hearts gem failed to register any assists and made 0.8 key passes per game along with creating two big chances, not much of a difference but Handa played 11 fewer matches.
The Japanese starlet even won more total duels (4.5 to three), made more tackles (2.3 to 1.6) and more interceptions per game (1.8 to 0.8) than Smith last season, underlining that he was just as effective defensively as he was bombing up and down the wing with ease.
With the Europa Conference League qualifiers taking place at the start of August, Naismith doesn’t have long to assemble a squad which he hopes can improve on their 4th-place finish in the Premiership last season.
By making a move for the £558k-rated Handa, they will be getting an exciting young talent who can shine at both ends of the pitch and the 5 foot 9 gem could become an ideal heir to Smith in the Hearts backline.
