Rogers Mato's Hearts chance after transfer deal and talks with management
· Barry Anderson · 2026-08-11 · nguồn gốc
Exclusive:Rogers Mato's Hearts chance after transfer deal and talks with management
Alexandros Kyziridis’ move to Turkey creates a void in the Tynecastle team
Talks between Hearts winger Rogers Mato and the club’s management team give the player some fresh hope for the season ahead. Alexandros Kyziridis has departed in a £1.7m transfer to Turkey, leaving a void on the left flank. Josh McPake staked his claim to fill it on Sunday against Dundee United, and Calvin Miller is also adept there. Mato is determined to keep himself in the fight.
The little Ugandan has been very much a peripheral figure at Tynecastle Park since arriving in January from FK Vardar in North Macedonia. He is showing patience after being omitted from European squads against Sturm Graz and Benfica. Talks have taken place with head coach Wouter Vrancken, who told Mato to make mistakes in order to learn. He came on as a substitute in Sunday’s 4-0 win against Dundee United and showed glimpses of his ability.
Kyziridis’ move certainly helps Mato’s case, as did the chats with coaching staff. Speaking exclusively to the Edinburgh News, Mato outlined how the discussions went. “You have to be patient for your time and you have to look out for others who are there, to push them every day, to give them a good attitude,” he said. “Of course, we had a good conversation with the manager. He told me to push harder in training, to make more mistakes, because if you make more mistakes, that's when he will correct you, to be myself. I think he saw something different from what the other coaches saw. I think he saw something special in me. He told me to be patient, to work hard, to be involved in training and when I come in, to get the confidence.”
It would be considered slightly unusual for a manager to tell a player they want more errors. “Yes, it's kind of strange, but if a manager tells you to make mistakes, I think what I took from it is that he believes in me. He trusts me,” explained Mato. “As long as I make more mistakes, he's ready to correct me. My team-mates are ready to correct me, they're ready to back me up, so I just need to be myself to get the confidence back. If I get the confidence back, they'll get the confidence from me. I think that's from all of them, the technical team and the boys behind.”
Although the owner of 41 international caps, Mato is only 22 and still learning. In particular, he is adapting to the unforgiving environment of Scottish football. Kyziridis was Hearts’ first-choice left winger last term so his exit creates an opportunity for others. “Yes, of course, but even when Kyzi was there, we were still fighting for the places,” said Mato. “I wish him success where he's gone and he's been a good guy. He's been a good guy to everyone, to me as well, because we've been joking a lot with him. So now it's time to up our games, the ones who have stayed, to put in more effort, to put in more work, because we need to cover what he did last season. He was a great player last season and he was a great player this season as well, so we need to work hard to beat what he left behind.”
The Hearts player trading model, in tandem with data-based recruitment partner Jamestown Analytics, centres around signing in order to develop and sell for profit. Kyziridis is a good example. He was recruited for free from Slovakian side Zemplín Michalovce last summer and is now moving for a tidy sum - all of which represents profit for the Tynecastle bank account.
In time, Mato hopes he can achieve something similar. He must first establish himself in Vrancken’s side and become a regular in attack. With pace, dribbling ability and an eye for goal, he possesses attributes and potential that could become useful at Hearts. Watching Kyziridis work to enhance his reputation was a good example of what the Ugandan must aspire to.
“Yes, of course, it gives me a little bit of confidence because you need to work hard,” said Mato. “The one who was there worked hard for it, so you also need to work hard for it. We need to go in and out of training and give 100 per cent each and every day, step by step, every step and brick by brick, so I think it's a good one.”