Wouter Vrancken sets out to take Hearts back into a Scottish Premiership title race, targeting Celtic and Rangers after being appointed as the club’s new head coach on a two-year contract at Tynecastle, aiming to build on last season’s narrow miss under Derek McInnes.

Hearts spent 250 days at the top of the Scottish Premiership table last season and led for 226 days from October, yet a 3-1 defeat to Celtic on the final day denied what would have been a first top-flight crown since 1960, despite needing only a draw.

Vrancken replaces McInnes, who left for Rangers last week after just one campaign in charge, and inherits a squad that already came very close to the Scottish Premiership title, which shapes both the pressure and the opportunity as Vrancken looks to match and then surpass that standard.

Vrancken outlines a clear objective for Hearts and links it directly with the Glasgow rivals. “[The remit] is to compete with the Glasgow teams and to try to overachieve again and have a good season, try to fight for the top spots,” Vrancken said. “We will fight for the best. They had a smell of the title last year, that’s the nicest thing to play for. Everybody wants to play for those spots, and we have to try our best to get to the level and get the Hearts I want to see. First, being as good as possible at this, then we can have another great season.”

The 47-year-old arrives from Sint-Truiden, where Vrancken guided the Belgian Pro League side to third place last season, their highest league finish in 60 years, and the performance brought individual recognition as Vrancken was named the division’s Coach of the Year before deciding to leave at the end of the 2025-26 campaign.

Hearts now turn quickly towards European matters under Vrancken, with the first competitive match set as the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round tie against Sturm Graz on July 21, offering an early test of Vrancken’s methods and an important fixture for a club with renewed ambition for the Scottish Premiership title.

Wouter Vrancken record and Hearts push for Scottish Premiership title

Before moving to Hearts, Vrancken built experience across Belgian clubs Lommel, Mechelen, Genk, Gent and Sint-Truiden, overseeing 331 matches so far in all competitions, with 165 wins, 73 draws and 93 defeats, which gives a win rate just under 50% as Hearts weigh that record against McInnes’ strong single season.

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Interest in Vrancken grew across Europe after the 2025-26 season, with reports linking Vrancken to Anderlecht, Burnley, Lorient and Ludogorets, yet Vrancken chose Hearts, where expectations are shaped by McInnes almost securing the Scottish Premiership title before that decisive final-day loss to Celtic.

Hearts and Vrancken now share a clear target of challenging Celtic and Rangers for the Scottish Premiership title, with recent league form, Vrancken’s strong record in Belgium and the upcoming Champions League qualifier against Sturm Graz combining to set an immediate, demanding stage for the new head coach.