Lawrence Shankland Hearts transfer exit gives me fear of death and £3m won't be enough for what I want – Ryan Stevenson

Hearts losing Lawrence Shankland this summer puts the fear of death into me. It really does.

He is currently away with Scotland at the Euros and it is brilliant to see him involved. I want him to do well for the country and for Hearts. And there is no doubt he deserves to be out in Germany. However, the bottom line is Hearts can’t afford to let him go as he enters the final year of his contract. He scored 31 goals last season and also had eight assists and he is frankly irreplaceable.

Hearts tried to get him on a new deal which was shelved until the summer but I don’t see any announcements coming soon. If it wasn’t for Lawrence we wouldn’t be talking about looking forward to European football after finishing third in the league. I have been pondering his possible replacement if he does up sticks this summer but there is nobody who really sticks out.

Okay, Hearts could go and spend £2 or £3 million but it might not be the right person. It would be a risk and if the money is there I would break the bank to keep Lawrence and also bring in a younger striker who can learn from him. He has every right to keep his options open but if Hearts have a kitty of money there then you are better throwing it at somebody who is tried and trusted and you know will do the job.

Even if he has a bad season he will still get 15 goals. That is guaranteed. The two positions we really need to strengthen are at right back and up front, regardless of the situation with Lawrence. I still feel we need somebody else to help him. At right-back we have signed Daniel Oyegoke from Brentford and could also bring in the Costa Rican Gerard Taylor.

During games last season when we were under pressure or the team were struggling, I always felt that teams