No official bids for Elie Youan but Martin Boyle very much in David Gray’s plans

It’s been a busy week for Hibs with several comings and goings ahead of the 2024/25 season. 

 Goalkeeper Josef Bursik has arrived on loan from Club Brugge, while central defenders Warren O’Hora and Marvin Ekpiteta have both signed three-year deals. 

Youngsters Murray Johnston, Murray Aiken and Kyle McClelland have left on loan. 

Meanwhile fans’ favourite Martin Boyle who was quoted earlier this month as saying that he would like to play in the Australian leagues before his career comes to a close, remains very much in head coach David Gray’s plans. 

Boyle still has one more year on his contract at Hibs and his former team-mate Gray said: “Martin is someone who is extremely effective in this league and a massive part of what I would like to do moving forwards. 

“It was a straightforward conversation along those lines for me to be able to tell him, ‘this is where I am, this is what I think of you, and I need you to be the type of player I know you can be. 

“He’s craving a little bit more responsibility within the group, not just on the pitch because he’s delivered on many occasions for Hibs over the years but every single day at the training ground.

“He’s a senior player now and younger ones will look up to him and rightly so, and he’ll continue doing what he has done which is take this club forward.” 

There has also been much speculation on the future of Elie Youan who has attracted attention from teams in France and Italy. 

But Sporting director Malky Mackay revealed that although there have been calls no firm bids have been made. 

When asked to clarify the situation he said:  “There haven’t been any viable offers yet. We’ve taken a variety of calls about him, but nobody has actually put in an official bid. 

“So he’s our player at the moment, he’s an asset to the football club and he continues to be until such times as we receive an offer that both he and we feel is the correct one for him to leave the club.”