Hibs transfers: 2 priority areas, Youan future, 6 players able to leave - what to expect in January
Despite an upturn in fortunes during December, which has resulted in Hibs moving up from bottom of the Premiership to seventh place, the Easter Road side’s transfer policy in January remains the same.
Head coach David Gray brought in 12 new players during the summer transfer window, but there is an understanding that certain areas of the squad need to be reinforced if Hibs are to make their baseline expectation of reaching the top six in the league.
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Hide AdBehind the scenes, one major change has occurred since the summer: the arrival of Garvan Stewart as the club’s new head of recruitment. The 38-year-old joined from Bournemouth last month in a move that bolsters the relationship between Hibs and Black Knight, one of the Edinburgh outfit’s major shareholders who invested heavily back in February.


Irishman Stewart reports into Hibs’ sporting director Malky Mackay and between them and Gray, they will look to bring in at least two new players in January. The priority areas are understood to be goalkeeper and attack.
While 30-year-old former Nottingham Forest man Jordan Smith has performed well since replacing Josef Bursik as Hibs’ No 1 at the end of November, Gray and Co intend to recruit in between the sticks. They have already been linked with Rotherham stopper Cameron Dawson, 29, and Hearts’ current back-up Zander Clark, 32, who is out of contract at the end of the season.
Bursik arrived on loan from Club Brugge in the summer but has failed to impress during his time at Hibs, making too many individual errors. However, his loan from the Belgian outfit cannot be terminated unless another club is found to take him on for the rest of the season. Bournemouth’s Will Dennis, who was at Kilmarnock last term, has long been a rumoured transfer target since Hibs and the Cherries’ owner Black Knight paired up, but he is currently third choice at the English Premier League side and another keeper would need to be brought to the Vitality Stadium in order for the 24-year-old to move on.
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Hide AdHibs are also in the market for another forward player to supplement their current options of Martin Boyle, Mykola Kuharevich, Dwight Gayle, Kieron Bowie, Elie Youan and Harry McKirdy. Hibs have suffered injuries across their front line this season and McKirdy remains out of the first-team picture, while Youan’s long-term future is still uncertain despite returning to the starting XI recently. The Frenchman was on the radar of a few clubs in his homeland over the summer before picking up an injury in a Premier Sports Cup tie against Queen’s Park.
Hibs do appear slightly light at centre-half given Marvin Ekpiteta is recovering from a thigh injury and Warren O’Hora is nursing a foot problem. Jack Iredale limped off during Sunday’s 1-0 win over Kilmarnock and his condition is unclear, although the emergence of Rocky Bushiri - often much-maligned by the Hibs support - has been a recent fillip. Full-backs Lewis Miller and Jordan Obita are also able to fill in as centre-halves if required.


Hibs tried valiantly to sign playmaker Luke McCowan from Dundee last summer before ultimately losing out to Celtic and there is some money available to spend on players should presentable opportunities arise.
Speaking after the win over Kilmarnock, Gray said on the transfer window: “I'd imagine it to be later on in the window [in terms of incomings]. It'll probably come down to what can be done, what the options are.
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Hide Ad“You'll always have ins, you'll always have outs, some players are maybe not playing enough football or look to try and seek opportunities elsewhere, that naturally happens as well. Then you need to be proactive and ready for teams showing an interest in your players as well.
“Nothing can be done while the window's closed. But the minute that opens you need to be ready for that - and that's the hard work that's been constantly going on at the football club.
“We've talked a lot about not getting too high and not too low during the ups and the downs of the season. It’s believing in what you're doing and trying to be measured and structured, and that doesn't change.
“We certainly won't be doing anything that we don't believe makes us better, and that's the challenge to everyone involved. But we are demonstrating now that this is a very good group of players.
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Hide Ad“I was heavily supported in the summer when the players were brought in, so from that point of view I’m very grateful. As I've always said, they've always been so supportive of me at the club, and if anything can be done, I'm sure they'll back me on that one as well. But it is about doing the right business rather than just any business.”


Hibs have a slew of players whose contracts expire at the end of the 2024/25 season and a number of those would be allowed to move on in January should the right opportunities arise.
Hibs are overloaded in terms of central midfield options, with Luke Amos, Jake Doyle-Hayes and Nohan Kenneh understood to be out of the first-team picture. Former QPR player Amos, 27, revealed on social media on Monday that he is keen to find a new club in the transfer window.
While the likes of Dylan Levitt, Nathan Moriah-Welsh and McKirdy continue to be named in the matchday squad, they could be permitted to leave given that Gray has not afforded them much game-time over the course of the season.
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