Bloom has helped guide Brighton into the Premier League and European competition since becoming owner of his hometown club, which is known for its savvy recruitment.

Since investing in Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise, the Brussels-based club has been promoted from the second tier and recently won their first title in 90 years.

Hearts will hope to benefit from their partnership with Jamestown Analytics, a well-known data firm that works with USG and Brighton. Bloom hopes that Hearts will become the first team outside of the Old Firm to win the title since 1985. Martindale has backed him to succeed.

“I think he’s shown he can do it with Union, very, very similar,” according to him. “I think he’s given himself a lot of leeway by saying ten years, but do I believe they can do it?

It would take a stupid man to bet against it. “If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Tony Bloom achieving what he says he wants to achieve rather than saying he’s talking nonsense.

I’d definitely throw my support behind him because I believe he can do it.” Martindale admitted he envied Hearts’ head coach Derek McInnes and his access to JTA.

“I think your eyes make the final decision but I think data definitely puts them on your radar,” he told me. “You could say that everyone uses data, but I don’t believe they all do it in the same way.

“In today’s football world, artificial intelligence plays a significant role in your daily life, allowing you to make better decisions. “Tony implemented artificial intelligence years ago with Jamestown Analytics.

He’s demonstrated that he can do it at the highest level with a high degree of success, so Tony implementing his strategy in Hearts will obviously benefit Hearts.”

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