Lee Johnson spells out Hibs summer transfer plans and reveals 'conversations' with loanees

Lee Johnson insists he will use Hibs remaining three Premiership fixtures to guage where his squad needs strengthened ahead of the summer transfer window.

Hibs welcome Rangers and Celtic to Easter Road just three days apart before closing the campaign with an Edinburgh derby against Hearts at Tynecastle as they look to secure European football next season. Retaining fifth place would be enough if Celtic defeat Inverness in next month's Scottish Cup final but overtaking Hearts to finish fourth would avoid an extra qualifying round in the UEFA Conference League.

Johnson said: "The next two games [against Rangers and Celtic] are big markers for us. It’s another test and shows us where we are next year. You have to make decisions based on the back of these games as well. Players have to understand how important they are for their own futures because we’re not a club that is happy to settle. We want to keep driving forward and bridge the gap as much as possible.”

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Hibs plans for next season involve targeting third place as well as narrowing the gulf between themselves and the Old Firm – which currently stands at 37 points to Rangers and 47 points to champions Celtic. Johnson knows his summer recruitment will be determining factor. “It’s super clear to me what I want, but you’re working with a set of parameters. And unfortunately with the Old Firm those parameters are a million miles away,” the Hibs boss explained. “So what you try and do is you try and blend a team, you try and build a team spirit, you try and develop your own. And you are waiting for a moment in time when you can possibly bridge that gap.”

Hibs manager Lee Johnson wants to bridge the gap to Celtic and Rangers. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)Hibs manager Lee Johnson wants to bridge the gap to Celtic and Rangers. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)
Hibs manager Lee Johnson wants to bridge the gap to Celtic and Rangers. (Photo by Paul Devlin / SNS Group)

Hibs have already completed one piece of transfer business in securing loan winger Elie Youan on a permanent deal after they activated their option-to-buy agreement with parent club St Gallen.

The future of Hibs other loan stars – Will Fish (Manchester United), CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley), Mykola Kukharevich (Troyes) and Matthew Hoppe (Middlesbrough) – remains unclear but Johnson revealed that discussions are taking place.

"I've got to be careful with what I say, but there's definitely conversations being had,” continued Johnson. “It's not just conversations with the clubs. They have an asset value to these clubs, they have a loan value. Often you pay a percentile of their basic wage when they come to a club like ours so that's got to be considered, particularly if they've done well because the parent club wants more.

"There's so many factors that go into it. I can say, yes, I want CJ but Burnley are now in the Premier League and I'm pretty sure CJ's money will have gone up as part of his deal. So, again, that's a conversation that's got to be had between the two clubs and also the player has got to fancy it as well.

"What I would say is I think we've looked after all our loans pretty well. I know the City Group are delighted with us regarding Miko and Burnley with the way we've treated CJ and even Matthew at Middlesbrough. It's really important to us to forge these relationships with clubs because it allows us to maximise our resources based on these good relationships then build around these young talented players."

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