Melbourne Heart coach John van't Schip has confirmed that they have agreed a deal with Central Coast Mariners' defender Dean Heffernan for next season.
"Dean is a modern-day defender, with great distribution and an excellent physical presence on the field,'' said van't Schip.
"He is tall, extremely mobile but also technically very sound, which is shown by his ability to move into attack and contribute and create goals."
"While Dean has been used in the past as a left-sided player, our intention is to use him as a central defender," added van't Schip.
"There are a number of players at the top level who have moved centrally as they matured and become great on-field leaders.
"With his athleticism and power, he is able to compete with strikers of any type and with his technical quality, he is comfortable enough to keep possession and play the ball out of defence, which is the way we want to play."
