Derek McInnes has admitted defeat in his bid to keep Danny Armstrong at Kilmarnock after the winger turned down a new deal.
The Rugby Park boss has confirmed that the 27-year-old – who has been linked with Hearts – will not be at the club next season as he prepares to enter the final six months of his deal. And McInnes insists any potential suitors will need to come up with a suitable offer if they want to prise him away during the January transfer window. Armstrong, who was sent off for two bookings in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Hibs, has become a key player at Killie after joining from Raith in 2021. He scored nine goals and came up with 14 assists as the Ayrshire side finished fourth last season.
But McInnes is now preparing for the future without the playmaker. McInnes said: “We put a huge effort in as a club to try to get Danny to sign again. It’s the same with all of our players who we see as having good value. Anyone who is a flight risk – we’re not sleep-walking, watching our players going into the last year of their contract. Anybody who thinks that is on cloud cuckoo land.
“We’ve tried and tried. I was delighted with the offer the club put to Danny. He refused it, as is his right, and we’re alright about it. I have never questioned his commitment.
“He’s not going to be a Kilmarnock player next season. We’ve accepted that. If he’s going to be a Kilmarnock player beyond January then it’s up to clubs to come through the door and ask the question.
“He’s not quite been at the same level this season, but I thought last week against Aberdeen he was excellent. It would be no surprise to me if clubs were looking at Danny.”
And although McInnes is aware of the rumours of Hearts sniffing about his player, he insists there has been no official contact from the Gorgie side He added: “I’d heard that a few weeks ago myself. Someone privately had told me that.
“I speak to Danny’s agent regularly, and I speak to Danny regularly, so I think I would know if there had been contact. Certainly, if Hearts want to come through the door and let us know of their intentions to speak to Danny then fine, but they haven’t.
“I’m really relaxed with it. I’m fine with it. I think I’m close enough to Danny to know if there was any contact, and I believe him that there hasn’t been from Hearts or anybody.”
Defender Brad Lyons, meanwhile, has hit back at any suggestion that Killie are a dirty team after they had a player sent off for the eighth time this season at Easter Road.
Armstrong picked up his first yellow for a coming together with Nicky Cadden and was shown another for apparently catching Jack Iredale as he slid in on a loose ball in the box. McInnes is adamant there was no contact and Lyons admits he is baffled by the red card run.
He said: “It’s absolutely crazy this season, how many we’ve had. Some you can argue against, some you can’t.
“I would back the gaffer up and say we’re not a dirty side. I think if you look at the sending offs, I would say mine (against Aberdeen) is probably the one that I’ve lunged in a wee bit.
“But I don’t think as a player you’re ever going into a game and thinking about red cards or thinking about referees and how many sending offs.
“It just goes to the back of your mind because you’re concentrating on your job and concentrating on the team and stuff. I don’t think it plays a massive factor. From the outside looking in, it is absolutely crazy.
“We’ve had eight sending offs so close together within half of a season. It’s something that we need to probably look at or try and change because with 11 players on the pitch, we can give anyone a good game.”