Hearts appoint Southampton scout William Lancefield as recruitment chief

William Lancefield has been appointed as the new head of recruitment at Hearts.

After spending time in analyst roles for Brighton and Tottenham, the 28-year-old became a technical scout for Norwich in July 2015 and spent 16 months at Carrow Road before moving to Southampton.

During his near five-year tenure with the Saints he worked as a recruitment analyst before becoming the club’s regional lead scout for the south of the UK.

Hearts’ sporting director Joe Savage told the club’s official website: “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.

“I’m certain that in William we’ve got someone who will make a positive impact in the way that we recruit players that can take us forward on the pitch.”