EDINBURGH: Hearts are looking for a new sporting director after Joe Savage stepped down.The club revealed Savage had decided to “take some much-needed time out from the demands of the football world”.
Savage joined Hearts in January 2021 following a spell as Preston’s head of recruitment and leaves days after the club secured a seven-figure fee from Birmingham for Alex Cochrane.Savage thanked his colleagues in a message on the club’s official website and added: “I’m the type of person who, when looking to the future, wants to be able to shake everyone by the hand and leave with my head held high. I believe that now is the right time to do that.
“A lot has changed since I came to the club. I’ve worked hard to make improvements and I think I’ve done a good job. “Qualifying for Europe three years in a row, for the first time in the club’s history, is a good indicator of that, as is the women’s team’s league performance and reaching the Women’s Scottish Cup final. The academy is going from strength to strength and I’m certain the first teams will bear the fruits of that for years to come.”
Chief executive Andrew McKinlay said: “It is with a heavy heart that I see him go but this is the nature of the football business…Succession planning is always high on our agenda and already internal discussions have taken place with regards to how we take the football department forward in the best interests of the club.”