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On Saturday evening, the Edinburgh club announced that they had terminated the contract with former team captain and Scotland national team defender Steven Pressley by mutual agreement. The player publicly spoke out in October about the "disturbances" in the dressing room due to various processes happening at the club under Vladimir Romanov's leadership.
The 33-year-old footballer had been playing for the team since 1998, but in November this year, rumors spread that a conspiracy was being planned to remove him from the captaincy position. As a result, Pressley did not take part in the match against Falkirk, and he was not even on the substitute bench in the game last week. His last match for the Edinburgh team was against Inverness.
"I have enjoyed my time at Hearts and it will be sad to leave the club. I would like to thank the club's supporters for their support," Pressley was quoted on the club's website.
The beloved favorite of the Scottish capital's club fans won the Scottish Cup last year with Hearts, finishing second in the championship. Many experts claimed that one of the reasons for the success of the team that season was Pressley's leadership qualities.
Hearts' head coach Valdas Ivanauskas did not disclose the reasons for Pressley's departure, but hinted that the defender was "disrupting" the team.
"The past few weeks have been difficult for both the club and Steven. We understand the enormous contribution Steven made as a player and captain over the years, and we wish him all the best in the future," Ivanauskas said.
It is believed that five clubs are now interested in the experienced player who has become a free agent. The favorite has long been seen as Dundee Utd, coached by former Hearts manager Craig Levein, who currently sits in ninth place in the Scottish championship - the team where Pressley played before moving to Edinburgh.
