Done Deal: Hearts sign 24-year-old winger on a permanent basis

Hearts complete permanent signing of Josh Ginnelly after loan spell

According to BBC, Scottish Premiership outfit Hearts have completed the permanent signing of winger Josh Ginnelly on a two-year deal after his release from Preston North End.

Ginnelly started out at the Aston Villa academy before making the switch to Shrewsbury Town’s youth setup where he grew through the ranks. In 2015, the winger made the switch to Burnley but spent most of his time with the Clarets out on loan, having stints at Altrincham, Walsall, Lincoln City, Tranmere Rovers before he signed for Walsall permanently in 2018.

Just months later, in January 2019, Ginnelly was snapped up by Preston North End. After a year at Deepdale, the winger was farmed out on loan to Bristol Rovers for the second half of the 2019/20 term.

Last summer saw the 24-year-old sign for Hearts on a year-long loan deal but a serious Achilles injury meant he managed just nine appearances, scoring three goals and setting up one more. (h/t Transfermarkt)

However, he stayed put with the Edinburgh outfit for rehab instead of returning to Preston North End. And with his contract at the EFL Championship club running out, he has now completed a permanent transfer to Hearts, signing a two-year deal. Manager Robbie Neilson welcomed the move, hailing Ginnelly as an explosive player.

“He’s an explosive player. He’s capable of providing a spark that can swing games in your favour. We saw glimpses of how good he was last season and now, with a full pre-season under his belt, he will hopefully go on to be a very important player for us.”

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With this, Ginnelly becomes the first signing of the summer for Heart of Midlothian FC following their promotion back to the Scottish Premiership from the second division. Despite having been bogged down by injuries last term, Ginnelly showed spark when fit. On a free transfer, he can prove to be a handy signing at the Tynecastle.