Matt Thornhill is Calderwood's first signing for Hibs

Protracted negotiations have been taking place over the course of the past three weeks with agreements on personal terms for the 22-year-old and a deal between Hibs and Forest now finally in place.

Thornhill was set to undergo a medical in Edinburgh today before putting the final touches to an 18-month contract which will see him reunited with Calderwood, who was his boss at the City Ground and gave him his debut for the Midlands outfit.

Thornhill was part of Calderwood's squad which went on to finish second in League One in 2007-08, winning promotion to the Football League Championship.

His arrival is the first of what, the News believes, will be a number of new faces at Easter Road before the transfer window closes at the end of this month with Hibs said to be in talks with Inverness Caledonian Thistle striker Adam Rooney, although the club refused to comment on what they described as "speculation." However, it was being made clear the imminent signing of Thornhill was no knee-jerk reaction to Hibs' shock Scottish Cup exit at the hands of Second Division Ayr United, with Calderwood having made approaches on several fronts only to find himself foiled by circumstance.

Calderwood himself has revealed how his hopes of having made a start to reshaping a squad which currently sits tenth place in the SPL table, just four points ahead of basement side Hamilton, had been dashed, mostly through circumstances outwith his control.

Injuries to potential targets, injuries to others at their clubs, changes of management and a reluctance on the part of English managers to release players on loan given they'd be tied to losing that individual for a protracted period under the rules which apply north of the Border rather than, say, for a month at a time, have all conspired to frustrate the former Scotland defender.

So to finally complete a deal will come as a massive relief, not only to Calderwood but the Hibs fans who have been voicing in no uncertain manner their anger at the apparent lack of transfer activity. At 6ft 1in tall Thornhill, born and bred in Nottingham, will certainly add a presence to an Easter Road midfield which has lacking in stature, although, the Evening News understands, it is unlikely he will feature in tomorrow's SPL clash with Motherwell at Fir Park.

Although he made 44 appearances for Forest in his first two years, scoring five goals, Thornhill found himself loaned out to Brighton and Cheltenham over the course of last season and so far this campaign he'd only featured once, scoring in the Carling Cup tie in the 2-1 defeat away to Bradford City. It is understood Calderwood is unlikely to pursue interest in Icelandic international trialist Gunnar Heidar Thorvaldsson.