Hearts have appointed Wouter Vrancken as their new head coach to lead the club into the 2026/27 season. The Belgian manager arrives at Tynecastle following the departure of Derek McInnes, who left the club earlier this month to take over at Rangers. Vrancken brings a wealth of experience from his home country.

His resume includes winning the Belgian Cup with Mechelen in 2019 and a runner-up finish with Racing Genk in 2022/23. Most recently, he guided Sint-Truiden to a third-place finish in the Belgian Pro League. Across five different Belgian clubs, Vrancken has managed a total of 331 games throughout his career.

This transition comes at a difficult time for the squad. Captain Lawrence Shankland has also left for Rangers, joining McInnes at Ibrox. Vrancken must now replace that leadership while trying to improve upon a second-place finish behind Celtic from last season. His first test arrives on July 22 against Sturm Graz.

Hearts face a demanding opening schedule including two Champions League qualifying legs and a trip to Aberdeen on August 1. The new manager must stabilize the squad quickly to avoid another narrow second-place finish. He starts his tenure with a high-stakes European qualifying tie against Sturm Graz.