Wouter Vrancken, the head coach of Hearts, said he expected striker Claudio Braga to remain at the Scottish club as the transfer window neared its closure on Thursday. "I think he will be here. I'll bet on this," Vrancken said of the 26-year-old Portuguese player. "But you never know, so let's hope that we can keep him because he has a lot of value for the team."
Braga scored 17 goals and provided six assists in his debut season at Hearts last year. He has contributed two goals and three assists in 10 appearances this term, having joined from the Norwegian second tier.
Vrancken described Braga as committed and coachable, saying the striker's mindset prioritized the team. The head coach suggested a second full season at Hearts could strengthen Braga's credentials for a move to a larger club. "It can be a good thing for him to stay and show himself in a different style of play because the bigger teams are not looking for a player who does one good year in a certain style of play," Vrancken said.
Hearts underwent significant changes in the close season, with Vrancken replacing Derek McInnes and the club making 14 new signings to compensate for 12 departures. Vrancken cautioned against assuming the squad was settled before the transfer deadline. "I would never say settled because I know what can happen in the last seconds of such a window," he said, adding that discussions over possible incoming and outgoing transfers were ongoing ahead of a derby match with Hibernian on Thursday.