Aidan Smith: Have Aberdeen been wiretapping Hibs?

But this time a signing target has stopped at Easter Road and not headed on up to Pittodrie

In Kyle Magennis Hibs appear to have finally nipped in front of Aberdeen to sign a player

On Whatsapp the other day a proud dad posted a photo of his young son in a Hibs strip. This sparked lots of encouragement in the hope the lad might one day turn out for his favourite team, though there was this note of caution: “Don’t let him be persuaded by Aberdeen’s offer of an extra bag of sweeties.”

For a while now the Leith faithful have been frustrated by seemingly done deals turning into Dons deals. By Funso Ojo being apparently bound for Easter Road only to handbrake turn it up to Pittodrie. By Ross McCrorie doing the same thing. And some were disappointed Dylan McGeouch didn’t come back to Hibs, heading north instead.

Were Aberdeen wiretapping us? Hiring Bletchley Park-standard codebreakers to help them nick our signing targets? You could understand the jitteriness, even the paranoia. Last week Hibs were interested in Allan Campbell, then it was reported that Aberdeen were too. Hibs fancied Kyle Magennis. Ah, but so did the Dons. The Hibees will presumably be delighted that the latter is heading their way. And relieved. They can stop training up double-agents to infiltrate Pittodrie - for now at least.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Joy Yates

Editorial Director