Hearts hero Jamie Walker has opened up on his Jambos transfer exit hell after a 'messy' negotiation period between the club and Rangers left his head 'all over the place'.
Walker joined Hearts as a youngster aged just 10, and made his first-team debut nine years later under the guidance of John McGlynn. Thrusting him straight into the first-team picture despite not featuring for the club at all the season before, he took the responsibility in his stride with a total of 26 appearances for his hometown side and became one of the more coveted youngsters in the Scottish game. Five more full seasons at Tynecastle followed, with Walker amassing 160 appearances for the club by the summer of 2017, with 38 goals in the process.
That was when Rangers came calling. Reports suggested at the time that the Gers were keen to land Walker after finishing third in the Scottish Premiership, in a bid to see Aberdeen off in second and finally get to challenge Celtic for the title after their plummet to the doldrums of League Two. But a move never materialised, and whilst Walker made his way to England before returning to Hearts with some success, he opened up on a 'messy situation' which was, by his own admission, 'mentally tough'.
READ MORE: Hearts new boy James Hill reveals secret weapon as he details key attributes after loan transfer
He told Football Scotland: "It was pretty tough. I'd just come off the back of a season scoring 15 goals from midfield for Hearts and I was still quite young.
"It was mentally tough. Obviously, Rangers are a massive club and wanted me to go there. It got a bit messy and obviously, it didn't go through. I played for Hearts for the first six months of the season before I went to Wigan.
"I wasn't playing well at all and that was part of the reason I left. I wasn't playing well and wanted something fresh. Wigan were top of League One at the time and I just thought it was a good opportunity.
"I'm sure it was like £700-800k but I think Hearts wanted a million and I think Rangers just didn't want to pay that. It wasn't tough for me that it never went through because it was Rangers, it was just more because there was a lot of scrutiny around it and my head was all over the place.
"I went back to Hearts and wasn't playing well and people were like 'should've just sold him'. It was all a bit messy and a really hard time of my career."
READ NEXT:
- Garang Kuol sets Hearts tongues wagging as social media update sparks Tynecastle transfer hint
- Hearts hero Paul Hartley makes Cove Rangers return following sacking of Jim McIntyre
