Credit: Imago

Jack Dawson

Mon 25 May 2026 17:06, UK

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Celtic and Rangers face a true threat in the Scottish Premiership for the first time in decades this campaign.

Hearts were minutes away from becoming the first club outside of the Old Firm to lift the trophy since 1985 before a late Hoops double on the last day.

Now, the Jambos’ squad is at serious risk of being dismantled. Lawerance Shankland is set to move to Rangers, while The Edinburgh Evening News has reported that Cammy Devlin is also being chased by clubs in the MLS.

This, combined with players such as Marc Leonard returning to his parent club, Birmingham City, means multiple key players could now depart Tynecastle.

However, this is not a good thing for the Old Firm clubs, with Celtic and Rangers at risk of losing millions from potential European revenue.

Hearts’ dismantling could see them struggle in Europe

For years, Celtic and Rangers have been the only clubs overseeing any success in Europe, but even this has declined in recent years.

As a result, the Scottish Premiership has lost a Champions League spot for the 2026-27 campaign, with only the champions gaining access to Europe’s most prestigious competition.

On top of this, one less side will get into Europe, with only four places up for grabs.

Not all of this is Celtic or Rangers’ fault, with Scotland’s other sides being hopeless in Europe as well for decades.

For example, both Dundee United and Hibernian were both knocked out in the qualification stages last summer, while Aberdeen failed to win a single game in the Conference League’s league phase.

A strong Hearts was a chance for Scotland to have a third team in Europe who were able to compete.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Rangers have agreed deal to sign Lawrence Shankland from Hearts, here we go!

Paperwork now signed and Shankland set to be announced as new Rangers player. 💙🤍 pic.twitter.com/omZIp4rKZl

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 24, 2026

If the Jambos were to reach the Champions League’s league phase, it would add significant points to Scotland’s coefficient table.

This could help the Premiership win back its second Champions League spot and potentially bring in millions for Celtic and Rangers if they were to finish in the top two.

Therefore, Hearts’ dismantling could result in the club doing poorly in Europe next campaign, further damaging the country’s already poor coefficient rankings, and costing the Old Firm millions later down the line.

What are Hearts’ current summer transfer window plans?

While departures of some stars are now expected, Football Insider has revealed that Hearts have bid for York City defender Malachi Fagan-Walcott.

The Jambos are believed to have tabled an offer of £750,000 for the 24-year-old.

Interest in Fagan-Walcott is high, with plenty of League One clubs as well as the newly relegated Oxford United keen on the York City man.

However, it remains to be seen if he can continue to have success at Hearts if they are able to win the race for the defender’s signature.