Hearts finished fourth in the Premiership last season, securing another crack at European football, however, question marks remain over who will be leading the side once the campaign begins.
Interim boss Steven Naismith guided the club to just two wins from six games following the sacking of Robbie Nielson in April, and he failed to win either of his Edinburgh derby ties.
Last week, the Daily Record claimed that the former Scotland international was set to be appointed as the manager on a permanent basis, however, Hearts have since held talks with current Hammarby coach Marti Cifuentes, and he remains someone who is under consideration for the role.
He certainly has slightly more experience than Naismith and judging by his results during his role in charge of the Swedish club, Cifuentes could potentially be Hearts’ own version of Graham Potter.
Could Hearts appoint Marti Cifuentes?
The 40-year-old is facing a tough second season at Hammarby following his impressive debut campaign, where he led the side to third in the league while coming up just short in the Swedish Cup, however, it could take a compensation fee in order to secure the Spaniard as their new manager.
The chief executive of the side, Richard von Yxkull, wants Cifuentes to stay despite fan unrest among the support, saying: "We have 100 per cent confidence in him, and we want to keep him as our head coach. If we were to end up in negotiation with another club, then yes. He is under contract with us."
Potter built up his reputation in Sweden, leading Ostersund to the Swedish Cup and into Europe during a seven-year spell, before breaking into the Premier League with Brighton and Hove Albion – following a stint at Swansea City – and then Chelsea, although he was sacked following just six months in charge.
Cifuentes has also forged his career in Scandinavia, taking charge of Sandefjord and Aalborg BK before landing the top job at Hammarby, where he has averaged 1.81 points per match, a similar figure to Potter during his spell in Sweden, who achieved 1.71 points per game, albeit playing more matches.
Naismith would be the cheap option for Hearts, however, taking a risk on a coach such as Cifuentes could very well pay dividends, especially as they aim to reach the Europa Conference League group stage for the second year in a row.
Potter’s career took off once he landed in England and Cifuentes could certainly follow in his footsteps should Hearts make their move for the 40-year-old, and he’d be an upgrade on Naismith in the process.