Joe Savage shares Hearts Premiership title ambition as he opens up on his time as sporting director

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Joe Savage admits he ultimate ambition at Hearts is to WIN the Premiership title.

The sporting director has been in his role at Tynecastle for 18 months now and it has been a very successful stint to date.

He joined midway through the 2020/21 Championship campaign that Hearts went on to win before a stunning return to the Premiership.

Robbie Neilson and Savage set about building a team capable of challenging for the top six and ended up blowing away all their rivals to finish best of the rest behind Celtic and Rangers and reach the Scottish Cup Final.

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They have been rewarded for an excellent top flight return with guaranteed European group stage football next season.

The likes of Barrie McKay on a permanent deal proved shrewd business while Alex Cochrane and Ellis Simms, who arrived on loan, played huge parts in the success of the Tynecastle side.

Europa League group stage football is just 180 minutes away with the parachute of Europa Conference League proper in the bag.

The minimum target from the Jambos will be to secure third place once again and the financial benefits that come with it.

Hearts have already been active in the summer market with the likes of Alan Forrest, Kye Rowles and Lewis Neilson already in the door with Neilson targeting more attacking additions.

Savage has a busy few months ahead of him as he continues wheeling and dealing and he admits he has loved every minute of his time at the capital club.

Reflecting on his first 18 months in Gorgie, he told Edinburgh Evening News: “You never know what’s round the corner,

“At the moment, I’m really happy here with the club, how they treat me, the staff, the players, backing from the board and what we’re trying to do.

“This has been absolutely brilliant for me. My ambition is to win.

“I want to win cups and I want to try to win the league. I know that sounds like I could be deluded but why would I be here otherwise?

“I’m massively ambitious and I want to see what we can do.

“The potential at this club is massive and I think we could really push, but we know there are two clubs in this country that are real institutions.

“They are top-level clubs and we aspire to reach them, try to compete with them, then split them and then beat them. That’s the hope.

“As far as my future, I love it here. It’s a great club with great people to work with and work for. The fans are brilliant and I’m treated well.”

Hearts’ recent success is not just down to Savage and Neilson with the sporting director keen to heap praise on the entire background team.

He added: “You are only as good as the staff around you and I’ve inherited good staff at Hearts.

“I didn’t know Robbie and his coaches before I came here. We quickly formed a good relationship.

“The performance department – Bob McCunn, big Mikey Williams, the physios, Clare Cowan, the head of operations – I’ve been fortunate with all of them.

“I always wanted this sort of role. I believed in myself that I could do it and at the moment it has worked out as well as it could have. I’ve been absolutely delighted with it.”