Islam Chesnokov is already being linked with a future move to Celtic—even before he has officially played for Hearts.
The prediction comes from former Rangers winger Andrei Kanchelskis, who claims Celtic are far ahead of his old club and remain the top destination for any player heading to Scotland. While Hearts have secured a pre-contract agreement with the Kazakhstan international, they’re still negotiating with his current club, FC Tobol, to bring him in early.
Kanchelskis, who earned 59 international caps for the Soviet Union, CIS, and Russia, spent four successful years at Rangers, winning six major trophies. Now managing Russian second-tier side Dynamo Bryansk, he was asked why Chesnokov chose Hearts over a move to Russia, despite strong interest.
He responded: “The Scottish Premiership is a strong, physical league, but realistically, it’s dominated by just two clubs—Celtic and Rangers—with Celtic clearly in front. Clubs like Hearts are in the mix for European spots, but for Chesnokov, the biggest benefit of moving to Scotland is visibility. It gives him a real chance to be spotted by Celtic or even English clubs and move up.”
“While Russia’s top league may be technically better, there’s no European exposure there, and players can easily go unnoticed. In Chesnokov’s shoes, I’d have made the same decision to move to Scotland.”
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