Hearts may now have the Scottish Premiership title sealed – and this done deal proves it
Hearts confirmed on Thursday that they have reached an agreement to sign Josh McPake, who is set to join the Jam Tarts in the summer.
Despite Hearts currently fighting for the Scottish Premiership title, this has not stopped Derek McInnes from making preparations for next season.
The Hearts have been making plenty of moves this January transfer window, with Rogers Mato recently agreeing a pre-contract with the Edinburgh club.
Now, the Jambos have repeated this trick with St Johnstone star McPake, who is set to move to Tynecastle under the freedom of contract in the summer.
✍️ Heart of Midlothian is pleased to announce that Josh McPake will join the club in the summer.
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) January 15, 2026
The winger has agreed to make the move to Tynecastle Park upon the expiration of his current contract with St Johnstone.
ℹ️➡️ https://t.co/rRWlrXyTaw pic.twitter.com/pCwPk3L44W
Josh McPake’s stats are fantastic for St Johnstone
While many fans may feel like they don’t need another attacker given the ability of Hearts’ front line, McPake is a serious signing by the Jambos.
After signing for St Johnstone last season, the winger has come to life in the current campaign as the Saints look to return to the top flight.
As it stands, the 24-year-old has netted 15 times in 27 games this season, while also picking up three assists.
Josh McPake vs Greenrock Morton
— plumber_football (@tichyburner) December 21, 2025
30 successful dribbles in one game ⁉️ pic.twitter.com/YIpCzKDEH2
However, on top of his goals, he is also a tricky winger, who causes the defence all types of problems.
According to Fotmob on 15 January, McPake is currently winning 2.65 fouls a game in the Championship as he constantly takes the game to the opposition.
| Josh McPake’s Scottish Championship stats this season | |
| Goals | 0.70 |
| Shots | 4.06 |
| Shots on target | 1.51 |
| Fouls won | 2.65 |
In comparison, Hearts’ current starting winger, Alexandros Kiziridis, is nowhere near this stat, at just 0.79 fouls won a game, which could offer the Jam Tarts a different option.
Winning free kicks is crucial to relieving pressure and could help provide another goal from the set play.
Therefore, if McPake is on the pitch, the Jam Tarts may start looking to utilise their dead-ball abilities even more, transforming the way that they play.
As a result, Hearts may already have the Scottish Premiership title sealed for the next campaign.
How good are Hearts from set pieces this season?
Currently, Hearts are one of the leading sides in the Scottish Premiership for set-piece goals this season.
As it stands, they have found the net 12 times from dead-ball situations, with only Rangers having a high count at 14.
Therefore, the addition of McPake could help expand this strengthen further.
As a result, the addition of McPake so early appears to be a smart one as they look to build on their current strengths.