HEARTS have signed 20-year-old West Ham striker Paul McCallum on loan - but a bid to re-sign Rudi Skacel was rebuffed by SPFL chiefs.

McCallum, a 6ft 3in forward who has scored goals on loan at Torquay, Wimbledon and Aldershot, could make his debut in the League Cup quarter-final against Inverness on Sunday after joining for the rest of the campaign.

Hearts were allowed to sign him under the terms of their transfer sanctions on a one-out, one-in basis following the sale of teenager Adam King to Swansea, but a bid to re-sign Skacel failed after Hearts cancelled the player registration of goalkeeping coach Alan Combe.

And Skacel will have to wait until the club come out of administration to sign for Hearts for a third time after Ryan Stevenson rejected offers to leave the club.

A statement from Hearts board read: "In relation to the application to register Rudi Skacel, the board considered a range of factors, including the fact that 34-year-old midfielder Skacel was being proposed to replace a 39-year-old goalkeeper/goalkeeping coach who has not appeared on any first-team squad list in any Premiership match for Heart of Midlothian this season."

Hearts administrator Bryan Jackson said: "I am grateful to the SPFL for the speed and fairness of this decision which allows Adam King to be swiftly replaced with Paul. We are disappointed that the application for Rudi Skacel was rejected but understand the reasons for the decision."