Luton linked with a move for Hearts' head of recruitment

Luton Town have been linked with appointing Heart of Midlothian head of recruitment William Lancefield in a similar role at Kenilworth Road.

The 33-year-old had worked as an analyst for Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion, before spells as a scout with both Southampton and Norwich City, where he was regional lead scout and recruitment analyst with the Saints. Since moving to Tynecastle, Lancefield has been behind bringing in players who have not only helped the Jam Tarts win promotion back to the Scottish Premier League, but almost win the title this term, pipped by Celtic after a 3-1 final day defeat at Parkhead on Saturday.

Speaking to the Hearts website at the time of announcing Lancefield, who has a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Sports and Exercise Science and has undergone a course in computerised performance analysis, in July 2021, then sporting director Joe Savage said: "This is a crucial role at the club and I’m really happy that we’ve got William on board.

"He’s someone I know well and as such I’m well aware of his talents and the skills he will bring to this club. Although this was an appointment that we took a bit of time over because we wanted to get it right, as soon as I knew John Murray was departing I made William my number one target.”

The Hatters revamped their own recruitment department just under 12 months ago, with player recruitment manager, Yousuf Sajjad and head of recruitment analysis, Jay Socik, taking over, the pair supported by newly appointed chief scout Marc Tracy. However, it has come under criticism in the last few years, Town suffering back-to-back relegations out of the Premier League and signing the likes of Jerry Yates from Swansea City in the summer and then loaning him out to Sheffield Wednesday a few months later after a tough first half of the campaign .

They have also added players like Davy van den Berg and Devante Cole during the winter window, neither really having the impact required since arriving. Footy Inside transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke wrote on his official X page said: “Luton Town are set to appoint Hearts recruitment chief William Lancefield as the club’s new head of recruitment. #LTFC #Hearts #JamTarts.”

Discussing his work in helping the Jam Tarts bolster their squad in the January transfer window, chief executive officer Andrew McKinlay added: “I think everyone was well aware that we targeted a right back and to have done that before the window even opened, I think says a lot about our guys behind the scenes and how well we're run from a recruitment perspective. Thanks to Graeme Jones (sporting director) and Will Lancefield and the guys in that team and obviously the work they do with JTA.”