Striker Ellis Simms joins Hearts on loan from Everton

Hearts have added to their attacking options with the signing of striker Ellis Simms on loan from Everton.

Simms moves to Tynecastle on a deal until the end of the season and, after the club received international clearance, the forward is available to play against Celtic on Wednesday evening.

Robbie Neilson has been looking to add a forward during the window with Liam Boyce the only fit established striker he has available.

The Hearts boss says Simms fits the bill and could be a big hit in maroon.

“I’m really happy to get a player of Ellis’ quality on board,” he told the club website.

“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 said: “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.”

Simms spent time at the academies of both Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City as a youth before joining Everton and his performance at youth level saw him involved with the England Under-20 side.

The 21-year-old made his Everton first team debut in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea last month but will now look to gain more regular game time as Hearts look to finish as high as they can in the Premiership and chase the Scottish Cup.