No hard feelings from Jones as Lee heads to Hearts

Luton chief Nathan Jones had no hard feelings towards midfielder Olly Lee after he opted to sign for Scottish Premiership side Hearts last week.
Olly Lee celebrates promotion with brother ElliotOlly Lee celebrates promotion with brother Elliot
Olly Lee celebrates promotion with brother Elliot

The 26-year-old rejected the chance to extend his stay at Kenilworth Road to head north of the border, penning a three year deal with the Jam Tarts.

Speaking about his decision, Jones said: “We offered him a contract a while back and then when we saw it was going to be protracted, it was not going to be an easy deal to do, then with all of them, we put them off until the summer.

“Because what we didn’t want them to do was to be going through it (promotion push) and it affecting their mentality. So what we did was we said, ‘we’ll speak again at the end of the season’, which I assumed everyone was fine with.

“We did one or two quickly, because they were slightly less complicated, and then we came to the end of the season.

“By the end of the season, Olly made it clear to me that he felt his career was better served elsewhere and that’s fine, not a problem.

“I think Olly’s made great strides and I would have liked to work with Olly for another year, but he’s chosen to do that and I wish him all the best, no hard feelings from anyone at the club.

“We thank him, he’s shown bravery, he’s been a good servant, he’s been a big part of what we’ve done this year and I wish him all the best.”

Lee himself admitted that playing under former Scotland and Leicester City boss Craig Levein was a big draw for him, as he told Hearts’ official website: “ I’m delighted to be a Hearts player.

“This is a massive club and I’ve known for a couple of weeks that this is potentially happening, so to finally get it done is brilliant.

“It’s a huge club. I saw the training ground and the stadium here is brilliant.

“To come to the (Hibs) game and see the atmosphere, the fans really sold it for me.

“Craig Levein has been massive, he’s been very enthusiastic about next season and I can’t wait to get started.

“He’s been brilliant. He’s the key reason for selling the club to me. We’re just looking to kick on. Obviously they said sixth isn’t the best finish for Hearts but we’ll be going for top four and hopefully to win something.

“That’s why I’ve came here; I’m used to winning games and I’m looking forward to doing that in the SPL now.”