Hearts secure loan signing of Ellis Simms from Premier League side

HEARTS have secured the signing of Ellis Simms on loan from Everton.

The England youth striker has joined Robbie Neilson's men until the end of the season.

He has signed in time for tonight's game against Celtic, and could feature in the matchday squad.

Yje 21-year-old came through at Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City before signing for Everton.

A remarkable 2018/19 campaign for the Toffees’ Under 18 side saw the striker score 37 goals in 29 games, which earned him a call up to David Unsworth’s Under 23s

Ellis’ Everton first-team debut occurred last month when he led the line at Stamford Bridge in a 1-1 Premier League draw with Chelsea.

Speaking to the official Hearts Website, Neilson said: “I’m really happy to get a player of Ellis’ quality on board.

“We’ve made no secret of looking for a striker and in Ellis we’ve found what we’ve been looking for.

“He’s got a great pedigree and all the attributes to be a success up here, so I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Sporting Director Joe Savage added: “It’s always been about quality over quantity for us and we’ve got real quality in Ellis.

“He’s someone we’ve been tracking for a long time and although it looked like he may have gone to the English Championship we’ve managed to attract him up here, which speaks volumes about this club.

“Our thanks go to Everton for their assistance with the move and I am, like I’m sure our fans will be, really excited to watch Ellis play for Hearts.”