We need to talk about Hibs

Many criticised the decision from the hierarchy at Hibs to sack Jack Ross. After all, the former St. Mirren and Sunderland manager had just helped his side to their first final in five years. 

However, hindsight is a wonderful thing and the Easter Road side are arguably in a better plight now than prior to the departure of Ross. 

The forty five year old’s replacement in the dugout was an extremely enticing one. Shaun Maloney left his post as assistant to Roberto Martinez in the Belgium set up to make the move to his homeland. 

In his opening two games as Hibs boss prior to the winter break, Maloney secured his first two wins in charge, defeating Aberdeen and Dundee United respectively. The new Hibs manager hasn’t made any drastic alterations from his predecessor’s lineups, just three changes were made between interim boss’ David Gray’s last match in charge to Maloney’s first. 

Shaun Maloney is a young, ambitious yet tactically sound manager who has experience of working under one of the best in the business. His previous knowledge of working with world class players will also be a significant benefit to him in terms of man-management at Hibs.

Furthermore, the majority of the signings made at Hibs so far under Maloney’s short reign look to have been hand picked by the thirty eight year old. 

Firstly, Ewan Henderson was brought in from Celtic on an initial loan deal which will be made permanent come the summer. Maloney knows Henderson from his time as a youth coach at Celtic and upon his arrival in Leith, the attack-minded midfielder told club media “As soon as I saw the new manager was Shaun Maloney, I was like one-million percent let’s get this done!”. 

Henderson is a vastly versatile player, being able to bring vitality to wherever he plays; whether it be on the right or left side of attack, in behind the striker or in a slightly deeper, midfield role, the former Celtic man can catch the eye. 

The twenty one year old is a player who could potentially thrive under Maloney, a coach he has a prior relationship with. In addition, the fact Hibs were able to acquire Henderson’s services for next to nothing is even more august and could provide them with further financial flourish in the future. 

Another young talent the Hibees were able to procure in the January window was Norwegian attacker Elias Melkersen. The teenager joined from progressive European side Bodo/Glimt for a six-figure fee, signing a four and a half year deal. 

Melkersen scored nineteen goals and registered two assists in twenty nine appearances throughout his loan spell at Norwegian second tier side Ranheim in 2021. 

He has predominantly been deployed at centre forward for the duration of his career however he is also comfortable in turning out on either flank. 

The nineteen year old has been a natural goalscorer wherever he’s been, this is evident with his average of a goal every ninety two minutes in his professional career thus far.

Melkersen undoubtedly has considerable potential and it is down to Shaun Maloney and his staff to get the best out of the striker.

Similarly to Melkersen, fellow new recruit Rocky Bushiri has a high ceiling. 

Bushiri has represented numerous clubs in his short career however Norwich have been his parent side since 2019. The Premier League side are still the overlords of the Belgian however Hibs have an option to make Bushiri’s move permanent come the end of the season, should he impress. 

As alluded to, Bushiri has turned out for several teams, mainly in his homeland. The defender has made a total of 64 appearances for KAS Eupen, KV Oostende, Blackpool, Sint-Truidense VV and KV Mechelen. He has vast experience in the Belgian top division which could serve him well in Scotland. 

Bushiri is a total centre back who stands at 6”2. The Belgian under twenty one International is still developing yet is another stirring addition to the Hibs side. It will be enticing to see if Bushiri and Ryan Porteous can strike up a partnership together in the heart of defence. 

Another loan addition to Shaun Maloney’s Hibs side was Harry Clarke. You probably recognise Clarke’s name from the first half of the Scottish Premiership season; the Englishman made seventeen appearances for Ross County, scoring three and setting up two. 

However, Clarke was recalled by Arsenal amid interest from Hibs and the Leith side were able to snap him up on an eighteen month loan deal. Unlike Bushiri though, there is no option to buy included in Harry Clarke’s move to Hibs.

Clarke is already proven in the Scottish top flight this season and has arguably been the foremost full back outside the Old Firm and the emerging Calvin Ramsay of Aberdeen. As well as this, Clarke is able to play at right back and centre back. He will surely rotate between the two as Shaun Maloney simultaneously shifts between a three and four at the back system. The positives of this signing are coherent and identical to his fellow new arrivals, Clarke is young, hungry and certainly able to make a difference however may not do so for the foreseeable due to a hamstring injury. 

The latest new arrival at Hibs is Demetri Mitchell. The Englishman signed from English Championship side Blackpool on a two and a half year deal for an undisclosed fee. 

Mitchell provides Shaun Maloney with more cover on the left hand side and particularly at left back, alleviating the pressure on young Josh Doig. 

One controversy of this deal though is the fact Mitchell once played for Hibs’ cross city rivals, Hearts. The twenty five year old spent an eighteen month loan spell at Tynecastle, making thirty four appearances for the Jambos. However, any concerns over Mitchell’s past were banished in the video which humorously announced his signing. The former Blackpool man was pictured in an interrogation scene being questioned over his previous comments from his time at Hearts to which Mitchell replied: “Guys, we’ve all said things that we shouldn’t have. I was young, I was immature but I’m here and I’m buzzing to get going”. 

The majority of players Hibs have been able to obtain this window are youthful and have high ceilings and apart from Clarke, bring the potential for the club to make some notable dividend in the future. This clearly marks a change in the side’s recruitment process and it appears Shaun Maloney is having a big say in said procedure. 

Now, one addition to the Hibs side we’ve not yet mentioned is Chris Mueller. Rather shrewdly, Hibs were able to get the two-time USA International in for free upon the expiry of his contract at MLS side Orlando City. 

Mueller made 127 appearances throughout his time at Orlando, scoring 22 goals and assisting 20. The attacker was a regular fixture in the 2021 MLS season as he played 29 times, helping his side to a sixth place finish in the Eastern Conference. As a result of their placing, Orlando made the play offs however they crashed out in the first round after a 3-1 defeat to Nashville. 

At twenty five, Chris Mueller is yet to hit his peak years. The American will surely play a significant part in the Hibernian side in the remainder of the current campaign and for years to come. Furthermore, Mueller brings added depth to the attack however his most dominant position is on the right hand side of attack. It will be intriguing to see where the American fits into the Hibernian offence. 

With five incomings this January, you would think there would of been many outgoings at Hibs however there was just one permanent departure and it was quite a significant one, to say the least. Martin Boyle left Leith for the Middle East to join Al-Faisaly. The Australian joined the Saudi Arabian club for a ‘significant undisclosed seven-figure fee’ according to the official Hibs website. 

Of course it was a huge blow for Hibs to lose their key player midway through the season however it would be extremely harsh to deny Martin Boyle the opportunity to go and vastly improve his, and his family’s, fortunes and lifestyle. 

From the club’s point of view, it is great business. Boyle was originally brought in as part of a swap deal from Dundee and later sold for a significant fee after markedly contributing to some great moments on the pitch for the Easter Road side. In addition, Hibs have included a buy-back clause in the deal, should it not work out for Boyle in Saudi Arabia. 

Moving away from transfers and another positive aspect of Hibs’ recent dealings has been their ability to tie down some of their top assets on long-term deals. All of Josh Campbell, Josh Doig, Jake Doyle-Hayes, Daniel MacKay, Kyle Magennis, Elias Melkersen and Chris Mueller are contracted at Hibs until at least 2025. In addition, Christian Doidge, Paul Hanlon and Kevin Nisbet have deals which don’t expire until 2024. Clearly, Hibs are reluctant to let any of their stars depart smoothly thus the tying down of them for the foreseeable. 

The future is unquestionably bright at Easter Road. Young talent is coming through, stirring signings have been made and the manager in place is embryonic. Let’s see what lies in store for Hibs in the coming months. 

Thank you for reading this article. If you have any thoughts or opinions, leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog for more Scottish football content.