Alex Cochrane has left Heart of Midlothian to join Birmingham City on a four-year contract.
The 24-year-old initially joined Hearts on a loan agreement from Brighton in 2021. He then completed a permanent transfer 12 months later after impressing at left-back.
Over the course of his time with the Scottish Premiership club, he made a total of 126 appearances and found the back of the net on five occasions.
Cochrane labelled his Hearts exit as an opportunity that was too good to turn down, despite Birmingham's recent relegation into English League One.
He told his new club’s website: “It came about quite quickly, but I felt like it was too good an opportunity to pass on.
"The ambition of the club, speaking to people involved, what they want to achieve this season and where they see the club going, it's exciting. Especially for a young player like me who wants to go as far as I can in football. It's something that I'm really looking forward to.”
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Hearts head coach Steven Naismith told the Heart of Midlothian media team why now was the best time for the defender to depart Tynecastle.
“Alex has done really well for us since joining three years ago, and we’ve been really good for Alex so it’s no surprise that there was interest in him," he explained.
“We had a conversation a year ago about picking the right moment to move on, and how another good season at Hearts would benefit him. He’s shown a maturity to focus on his game, develop and do his best for the team.
“It’s important for the club that we are able to identify players who can take the team forward and, if the opportunity presents itself further down the line, we make a significant return on our investment.
“It’s one of the big appeals for players joining Hearts; challenging at the top end of the league and in latter stages of the cup, European football, international recognition and a platform to progress careers.
“It’s a good deal all round. It’s good for the club and it’s good for Alex. He leaves with our best wishes.”
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