Vincent Kompany's wise words helps Hearts in landing new manager

A serial English Premier League winner with Manchester City, a defender capped 89 times by Belgium and now a Bundesliga-winning manager with Bayern Munich, he is one of Europe’s highest-regarded head coaches.

He is also a confidant of new Hearts boss Wouter Vrancken, with their paths crossing in Belgian football. And some words of wisdom imparted to the 47-year-old by his fellow coach helped seal a move to Tynecastle earlier this week.

“I'm good friends with Vincent Kompany, and he told me that when you go abroad, the first thing you have to look at is the people,” explained Vrancken. “If you have a good feeling with the people, those are the people you have to work with. I think that was very important.

“I immediately had a good connection with Graeme [Jones, sporting director] and the way he sees things. I also liked the way I came in because it was objective. It wasn't only about relationships or who knows who; it was also about the model. It means that what you did in the past was good, and that gives you confidence to start.”

Asked to elaborate on his relationship with Kompany, Vrancken continued: “We played against each other and worked against each other as coaches. It was when I was at Mechelen in the first years. We started indirectly, then we played each other, and because of the kind of football we both play, we started connecting. Then we kept in contact. I spent three days with him in Burnley and in Munich, and we've stayed in touch since.”

Not that Vrancken plans to lean on Kompany on advice for his first gig outside of Belgium. “No, no,” smiled the Hearts boss. “He's too busy with Bayern, I think. Just as a friend, but just doing my own thing because what we want to see is different. You build up your own ideas over time, you create things, and it's evolving all the time.”

The odds are very, very long but the duo could meet in the Champions League. Bayern are safely in the main phase, while Hearts have three qualifying rounds to navigate, starting next month against Sturm Graz of Austria. Vrancken has experience of Europe from previous roles and is relishing a crack at the biggest competition of all.

“I was with Genk and Ghent. In Ghent, the year I was there, we were in the Conference League qualifiers. It was the second qualifying round, so we had to beat three teams to reach Europe, and we succeeded. That was good.

“With Genk, like Hearts, we also started in the second round of the Champions League qualifiers. We were unlucky twice and nearly reached the Conference League. You have to be strong straight away, but also well prepared so you don't let luck go against you. You have to bring luck to you by being as ready as possible.

“I remember we had a third qualifier against Olympiacos for the Europa League. We were playing well against Olympiacos, but then we got a red card. After that we didn't dominate the game anymore, we lost, and we had to win that game. I think it was a draw at that moment, and we needed the victory. That was a pity, but it's part of football. You have to be ready and make sure that doesn't happen.”

This time around, Vrancken will have Jamestown Analytics in his corner. With Union Saint-Gilloise conquering Belgium with the help of Tony Bloom’s database, the former St Truiden manager hopes it can bring him success in Gorgie.

“Tthat was one of the reasons to come here,” admitted Vrancken. “I mentioned the people, but also the model because I saw what it did with Union.

“When they came up to the first division and had a great first season, everybody thought it was a one-shot. But now it's been, I don't know, four or five seasons, and they're always in the top three in Belgium, competing against Brugge, who have a lot more money than they do.

“I've always been excited to know what's behind the curtain, how it works, how they get these players that maybe nobody knows, and then they turn out to be very good players. Now I get to experience it first-hand.”