Midfielder Malachi Boateng has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with Plymouth Argyle after completing a permanent transfer from Scottish Premiership side Hearts for an undisclosed fee.

Argyle announced the deal for Boateng at 10.30pm tonight, just 30 minutes before the winter transfer window closed. The 22-year-old had completed a medical earlier in the evening.

Head coach Miron Muslic said: "Malachi provides further strength in depth to the squad but also fits the profile of player we are trying to sign perfectly.

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"He is tall, athletic and physical and complements the style of play I am trying to implement here at Argyle. I want to welcome him to the club and look forward to him joining up with the squad."

Boateng, older brother, Hiram, spent much of the 2015/16 League Two campaign on loan to the Pilgrims. Both are products of Crystal Palace's academy.

Argyle head of recruitment Jimmy Dickinson said: "Malachi is a ball-winning defensive midfielder who will bolster Miron's options. He adds athleticism and is also young and has loads of potential to develop and grow, and we believe he can do that under Miron's leadership here at Argyle."

Boateng, who will wear the number 19 shirt, is the Pilgrims' fifth signing of the winter transfer window, following permanent deals for Michael Baidoo (Elfsborg) and Maksym Talovierov (LASK Linz) as well as loans for Tymoteusz Puchacz (Holstein Kiel) and Nikola Katic (FC Zurich).

Argyle's new recruit only joined Hearts from Palace last summer and went on to make a total of 21 starts and seven substitute appearances for the Edinburgh-based club.

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley told his club's official website: "We've enjoyed working with Mal these past few months. Similar to Daniel Oyegoke before him, this is a move that makes sense for all parties involved.

"Mal has an opportunity to continue his career down south and it’s a good deal for us, so we wish him well at Plymouth. We are happy with the work we have done during January as we now look forward to the next phase of the season in good form."

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