Steven Naismith is hoping to see several other Hearts players pledge their futures to the club in the coming weeks after Alan Forrest signed a new contract until 2026.
The 27-year-old’s initial deal was due to expire this summer, but he has earned an extension after establishing himself as a key man for the Jambos this term.
Naismith praised Forrest for the way he has handled the step up since moving to Hearts from Livingston in 2022.
“Alan needed to prove to the fans he’s good enough and understand the demands at the club and I think over his time here he’s done that,” said the manager.
“I think this period is the most consistent he’s been. That’s something I challenged him with at the start of the season in terms of impacting games more and needing to be one of the most consistent performers, and he’s done that as well.
“It’s great that we’re keeping a valuable asset, but Alan deserves it more than a lot of the boys in the group.”
Hearts are in contract talks with several other players, including Craig Gordon, Beni Baningime, Craig Halkett and Lawrence Shankland.
“There are a few more (beyond those listed) that we’re talking to, whether it be younger players in the full-time environment or first-team players, but I’m hoping a fair few will have signed new contracts in the coming weeks,” said Naismith.
Shankland’s future has been the main talking point among supporters, with the free-scoring forward’s current deal expiring in the summer of 2025.
“We’ve been in conversations for weeks,” said Naismith. “We’ve not had any interest or offers.
“I think a lot of that speculation is coming from outside, punditry and the media. Lawrence is playing the best football of his life and he needs to weigh up the pros of staying at Hearts while also understanding that it’s a short career.
“He’s got to do the best he can for him and his family. Everybody within the club and supporters need to appreciate that and respect it and just enjoy him while he’s here, whether that’s for the rest of this contract or beyond.”
Andy Halliday’s Hearts career effectively ended on Friday after he joined Motherwell on loan until the end of the season, with a view to making the move permanent when his Jambos deal expires.
“Andy’s found it tough to get his minutes in the first half of the season, but professionally he’s been top level in training,” said Naismith.
“At his age he wants to play. There might be a couple of others who go out, but there’s no pressure from the club to lose any players.”
Hearts kick off their Scottish Gas Scottish Cup campaign with a short trip to northern Edinburgh to face cinch League Two side Spartans on Saturday.
“It will be an awkward game,” said Naismith. “You’ve got the beauty of the Scottish Cup and going to new surroundings, which will be tricky.
“There’s also the expectation that we should just turn up and roll these teams over, but it’s never the case.
“Nowadays, in the professional game, the athleticism and organisation of teams is very good.
“We’ve got a good understanding of Spartans because we’ve got a good link with them as a club.
“Our B team play their games there (at Ainslie Park), they’re a fantastic community club and we played them earlier in the season in a bounce game. It will be a tough game.”
Al Hilal crowned Saudi Pro League champions after Al Hazm hammering
Al Hilal secured their fourth straight Saudi Pro League title after Aleksandar Mitrovic starred in Saturday's 4-1 thrashing of bottom side Al Hazm.
Faiz Selemani restored parity after Mitrovic's 15th-minute opener at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, only for Jorge Jesus' hosts to roar back and be crowned champions with three games remaining.
Ahmed Al Juwaid's own goal handed the initiative back to the dominant Al Hilal, who led 4-1 at the break after Mitrovic added another to his tally and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was on target.
The second of Mitrovic's strikes took him to a team-leading 26 league goals this term as Al Hilal breezed to another title, moving an unassailable 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
Jesus' side are unbeaten through all 31 games this season after securing their record-extending 19th top-flight crown in history, while Al Hazm need to win their last three matches to have any chance of staying up.
Al Hazm's relegation rivals Al Tai boosted their chances of survival in Saturday's earlier clash after a 1-1 draw away against Al Raed.
Al Tai are just a point away from 15th-placed Abha Club in their bid for top-flight safety after Ibrahim Al Nakhli's strike was cancelled out by Al Raed's Mohammed Fouzair in the second half.
Al-Ittihad 0-5 Al-Ettifaq: Ekambi scores hat-trick in five-star display
Karl Toko Ekambi netted a hat-trick as Al-Ettifaq got back to winning ways in style with a 5-0 thrashing of Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
He scored twice in four minutes at the end of the first half to send the visitors into the break 4-0 up before getting his third just 10 minutes after the break.
Seko Fofana had already given Steven Gerrard’s side the lead five minutes into the contest, while Moussa Dembele doubled their advantage from the penalty spot.
Al-Ittihad had the chances, but they could not find the back of the net, as they stayed fifth, but are now just six points above Al-Ettifaq.
Data Debrief: Clinical finishers
Al-Ettifaq had five shots on target against Al-Ittihad, scoring with all of them while creating an xG of 3.62.
With his hat-trick against Al-Ittihad, Ekambi has now scored 11 goals for the season, netting more than once for the first time since joining the club.
Al-Akhdoud 2-3 Al-Nassr: Brozovic stunner delays Al-Hilal coronation
Marcelo Brozovic scored twice – including a fine half-volley in second-half stoppage time – as Al-Nassr beat Al-Akhdoud 3-2 to delay Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League title coronation on Thursday.
Former Inter midfielder Brozovic fired in a seventh-minute opener from outside the area before Cristiano Ronaldo tapped into an empty net to double the visitors' lead.
Sadio Mane struck the woodwork early in the second half and Al-Nassr relinquished control of the game from there, with goals from Hassan Al Habib and Saviour Godwin making it 2-2.
However, Brozovic blasted a bouncing ball home following a goalmouth scramble in the first of seven minutes of stoppage time to hand Al-Nassr a fifth straight win and keep them within nine points of Al-Hilal, with three games still to play.
They have only delayed the inevitable though as the leaders – who have only dropped four points all season – need just one more point to secure their crown ahead of facing Al-Hazm on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Brozovic upstages Ronaldo
While it's usually Ronaldo writing the headlines for Al-Nassr, he was upstaged by Brozovic on Thursday as the Croatian found the net with both of his shots, also leading all players on the pitch for final-third passes (19) and completing 90.1 per cent of his passes overall (81/95).
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