Scottish Premiership 2025/26: Hearts’ shrewd transfer investments pay dividends | OneFootball

The Scottish Premiership is widely regarded as one of the most imbalanced leagues in Europe due to the dominance of two clubs.

You have to go back to 1984/85 to find the last time a team not named Celtic or Rangers finished top of the pile in the Scottish top flight.

Aberdeen achieved the feat on that occasion, but it has been a two-way traffic since then. However, Hearts could buck the trend this season.

They are three points clear of Rangers at the top of the table with 13 matches remaining. Celtic are three points adrift of their Glasgow rivals with a game in hand.

Hearts’ title challenge has been fuelled by significant changes behind the scenes, which have helped them compete more effectively in the transfer market.

A quick look at each club’s transfer activity in the Scottish Premiership in 2025/26 paints an intriguing picture where Hearts are concerned.

Bloom’s involvement is a game-changer for Hearts

Brighton & Hove Albion owner Tony Bloom’s decision to invest around £10 million for 29 percent of non-voting shares in Hearts last summer has been a game-changer for the club.

In the previous two seasons, the Edinburgh-based outfit recorded a profit on their transfer dealings. Bloom’s involvement has changed the landscape.

While the Glasgow giants still dwarf Hearts’ expenditure, their exclusive use of data provided by Jamestown Analytics has transformed their squad.

By contrast, Celtic and Rangers have struggled in the transfer market. They are in danger of disproving the theory that richer clubs win more silverware.

Hearts may ultimately be overhauled on the run-in, but the progress they have made in such a short space of time should not be underestimated.

Bloom has worked wonders at Brighton & Hove Albion over the past few years to establish them as a Premier League club. That is no mean achievement given the depth of the league.

Given the disparity in resources in the Scottish Premiership, Bloom has every chance of delivering on his promise to break the Glasgow duo’s stranglehold.