What Hearts are getting in exciting winger Islam Chesnokov

The 26-year-old has signed a deal until the summer of 2028 and will become just the second Hearts player to wear the No.99.

The prospect of Chesnokov being part of the team's attacking plans has been exciting fans since he emerged as a target 12 months ago.

Back in April, Tom Irving provided the lowdown on the winger.

What did Jamestown see in the data?

In 2024, Chesnokov scored 0.41 non-penalty goals per game, the best in the league for a winger, and had an xG that was similar. This, combined with his high number of shots per game and his impressive goal conversion rate, shows a player who not only gets good chances to score but also puts them away.

In the possession half of Chesnokov's percentile chart, we see a player who is more likely to play a pass into the box than to cross it, potentially hinting at playing a more inverted role than being an out-and-out winger.

Where we see potentially the most impressive data is in his dribbling. Chesnokov dribbles 5.84 times a game with a success rate of 57 per cent, which is impressive for a winger. He also has a high number of accelerations per game in comparison to his peers and is involved in a lot of offensive duels with an impressive win rate. His data shows an exciting attacking player, who likes to run with the ball and get amongst the goals, but is that evident when you watch him play? 

Eye test

I watched a mass of short clips of different parts of Chesnokov's game. They were encouraging on their own and matched up to what the data has shown, but in isolation, don’t show the whole picture, so I watched a full game against one of the top teams in the league, Aktobe, to get a full idea of the type of player that he is.

Tobol played a 4-2-3-1, with Chesnokov playing on the right side of the three. For the first few minutes, they pressed high, before settling into a more disciplined shape that would press as a unit after different triggers instead of pressing consistently. Aktobe played a long diagonal ball from kick off, which was intercepted by Chesnokov, and without a second thought, he drove forward at pace and won a throw-in after a good tackle. He was then immediately involved from the throw-in, winning a foul after receiving the ball – signs of the treatment he could expect for the rest of the game. This was a pretty common thing throughout the game – he always wanted the ball and to be involved. 

Tactically, Chesnokov is intelligent. He drifts between playing as more of a traditional winger with his heels to the sideline and an inverted winger. He often comes inside to try to get onto the ball in space centrally, allowing the full-back to push up high and exploit the area he vacated.

For the first Tobol goal, Chesnokov had moved into a central forward position to chase any rebounds of his team-mate's shot. While he didn’t usually get as advanced as this, it was very common to see him centrally. When he receives the ball, be it wide or centrally, his first thought is always the same – 'Can I go forward?'.

Watching Tobol V Aktobe from the weekend as part of an article for @HeartsStandard_ that will be going out this week.

I didn’t even look at the score line before this, and didn’t know Islam Chesnokov scored. This was a lovely surprise.

Our smiley Kazakh prince! 🇰🇿 pic.twitter.com/kaRGb5KE3l

— Irving Analysis (@IrvingAnalysis) April 22, 2025

He has good close control and great vision, which allows tight, sharp turns and quick decisions to either drive forward or to spray impressive passes across the pitch without hesitation. When he decides to drive forward, he does it with purpose and not like a headless chicken. If he knows he’s isolated, he will drive into space, keeping the ball close to him and attempting to encourage the defender not to dive in. He’ll not try to beat the player for the sake of it and enter into a duel, instead, he’ll bring his team-mates into play.

Defenders in the league seem to respect him, so won’t press him or dive into him as they know if they over-commit, he’ll breeze past them. This also makes him a very good out ball. On one occasion, we saw him get the ball wide, drive forward, draw two players in before cutting in and playing the ball to the overlapping full back – very intelligent and unselfish play. 

Technically, he showed a lot of promise. He doesn’t waste time on the ball and, like I previously mentioned, shows a good ability to turn quickly on the ball and either drive forward at pace or find a pass immediately, even if it’s a hard one.

On one occasion, we saw him receive the ball to feet on the right side line and quickly played a through pass to a team-mate, before quickly getting forward to support. His team-mate lost the ball, but Chesnokov won the ball back from the defender and quickly whipped a good cross into the box.

On another occasion, he got the ball in a wide area and took a good first touch to get away from a player trying to slide-tackle him. His second touch was a pass centrally to the striker, whom he supported and got a one-two from, before driving forward and winning a foul. It was when he had the ball at his feet that he was probably most comfortable. On a couple of occasions, he was able to get by his defenders and get balls into the box, one time by hitting the byline, and another from a wider position. 

Psychologically, Chesnokov seems to have a winner’s mentality. He gets annoyed and fired up with himself when he makes a mistake, in a good way. It spurs him on to do better, and he seems to instantly work harder to make up for it. He got in a couple of small arguments with his opponents during the game, and again, in a good way. He didn’t give the impression of being a hot head or a walking yellow card, but was full of intensity and fight.

One moment where this fight was shown was when he drove 20-30 yards forward with a good direct run before being dispossessed with a great tackle. He got up and pressed instantly before winning the ball back for his team. This was seen throughout the game – he got kicked and battered all over the park and his first thought was to get back up and get on with it instead of feeling sorry for himself and rolling around the ground. Again, a winner. 

Physically, he was mostly strong. He’s got a good top speed and is quick and agile over short distances. He never seemed to tire, even though he was full of running the whole game and was heavily involved throughout, showing good fitness levels. Even though he is quite slight and not full of muscle, he doesn’t get bullied on the pitch. He’s got a good centre of gravity and takes to a physical battle well, throwing his weight around. 

I was racking my brain for a comparison that has previously played for Hearts and I don’t think I’ve been able to come up with one.

I’d potentially say a mix of [Jamie] Walker, [David] Templeton, Saulius Mikoliunas, and maybe Deividas Cesnauskis. But really, I don’t think there’s a good comparison to be made, with the new Chesney being an entirely different player than we’ve seen in the past.

I, for one, am excited to see the first Kazakh player take the pitch in the maroon of Hearts.