Hearts boss Laszlo two players away from dream team

CSABA LASZLO is seeking a new striker and right midfield player to augment his current squad and believes recruiting the right candidates would leave Hearts with a team capable of challenging for years to come.

The Hungarian believes he is just two new additions away from completing his first-team restructuring but knows he must contend with impending sales during the January transfer window.

He is not expecting excessive departures, and club officials have stressed likewise to the Evening News that no panic buttons are being pressed internally at Tynecastle despite recent failures to pay players' wages on time.

Larry Kingston and Marius Zaliukas appear favourites to leave but Christophe Berra, Andy Driver, Bruno Aguiar, Lee Wallace and Christos Karipidis are also attracting interest from clubs around the UK and beyond. Laszlo wants the core of his side held together until the end of the season, supplemented with a forward and right-sided midfielder once the transfer window opens.

"I wish to have a right midfield player and one more striker for my team. If we don't lose anybody you have a very good team for the long term," he said today. "I want competition.

"The spine of the team must be there but we must always have flexibility to bring new players in.

"Sometimes the first 11 is not the most important, sometimes what matters is the quality of your bench."

The manager faces an anxious wait over whether Janos Balogh's stay in Edinburgh will become permanent. The goalkeeper's loan deal from Hungarian side Debrecen expires on January 19 and the agreement states that Hearts must pay 150,000 to purchase him outright.

"We have an agreement in place for the transfer of Janos should Hearts wish to make it permanent," said Sandor Szilagyi, general manager of Debrecen. "They must pay us a fee of 150,000 to keep him in January or he will return to our club.

"It's possible he will stay with Hearts but only if these conditions are met."

The funeral of Hearts legend John Cumming, who died last Saturday, will take place tomorrow morning at 10.30am at Carluke E.U. church, Carnwath Road, Carluke.