In three games thus far, the Belgian loanee has scored five goals.
After Elton Kabangu scored five goals in his first three games in Scotland, Hearts are confident that his loan agreement could turn into a permanent one. The Belgian striker is currently on loan from Union Saint-Gilloise until the conclusion of the current campaign, but if everyone is on board, he might become a full-time Hearts player.
Hearts defeated Dundee 6-0 at Dens Park, with Kabangu scoring twice and Lawrence Shankland, Blair Spittal, Musa Drammeh, and Kenneth Vargas also contributing to the score. As fans embrace the newcomer, head coach Neil Critchley later discussed the likelihood that Kabangu will stay in Gorgie permanently.
“Hopefully,” he said. “Let’s see where that goes from here. Elton and I are both pleased with the current agreement. Naturally, both he and I are content with the current state of affairs. We’re delighted, he’s happy, and maybe we’ll see him wearing a maroon shirt for the foreseeable future and possibly beyond. I can’t get into too much detail about it.
First and foremost, Elton is a fantastic person to have around. He is incredibly vivacious, beaming, and smart around his teammates. You get to like him because of his contagious personality. He is a goal scorer, has a positive mindset, and works really hard. He scored his first goal in a spectacular counterattack when Cam Devlin won the ball in the corner, cleared it, Elton knocked it down brilliantly, and Shanks, who was amazing, let him go and Elton scored.
He can move quickly enough to evade defenders and then finish with great skill. He had excellent technique in his next one. He was in the box when it fell for him, and he crushed it in. When I took him off, he wasn’t thrilled with me, but I’m sure he’ll move past it.
Jorge Grant, a midfielder for Hearts, scored the third goal in last week’s 3-2 victory over Kilmarnock, but he was left off the team at Dens Park. The Englishman was given a rest, Critchley explained. “Just a squad selection, no problem,” Critchley stated. He played a lot of games lately after not playing any for a while, and I think he was a little tired. It was only a selection difficulty because I wanted to have Calem Nieuwenhof on the squad. Grant is fine, there isn’t a problem with him.
Critchley is adamant that Hearts still have a lot of work to do despite extending their winning streak to seven games. Their largest top-flight triumph since 1988 came at Dundee. Naturally, it would be nice to visit Dundee and win, but such a scoreline is uncommon. We looked like a tremendously strong team, in my opinion. The initial goals were excellent, truly top-notch goals. The confidence that permeates the team is evident. We maintained a clean sheet and gave them very little before the goal. Especially during the second-half break, we were quite clinical.
“We have had success. Both the players and those in attendance have had an excellent day. Whether you win 1-0 or 6-0, three points are still earned. Given Dundee’s recent performance and the challenges they’ve presented to the top two, as well as the fact that they won the Scottish Cup Dundee derby, we knew this would be a challenging match. We anticipate that momentum, which they established in the first ten minutes. Just keep your cool and play good goal defence, long ball defence, throw-in defence, and set-piece defence. We did a great job on that.
“It helps when you score first. Shankland’s strike was outstanding. Another amazing strike for the second goal. Perhaps a few months ago, those things didn’t go your way. They are now pursuing us after it may cross the line or be blocked. Naturally, we will accept it, but we will return for training tomorrow morning and enjoy a few days off.
“We must ensure that there is no room for complacency. We’re winning games due of our preparation, training, and players’ mindset, and that’s what makes you successful. We must be careful to avoid deviating from that.
