All my players are being answered
Ross hopeful on new terms for Nisbet as he eyes last-minute shopping in window
JACK ROSS has hailed Easter Road owner Ron Gordon for tying down Hibs’ top stars.
But the Leith boss admits he will be disappointed if he is not checking in a fresh batch of arrivals before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.
Ross confirmed the club are in talks with Kevin Nisbet and is hopeful the striker will follow Martin Boyle’s lead and sign a new deal.
It would be a major feat if Hibs could successfully fend off interest in their two main men to secure them on improved terms.
Nisbet, 24, still has three years on his contract and Ross said: “Hopefully it’s a positive reflection on the club as a whole because you need to be supported by the owner, the board and the club to keep your best players.
“We saw that with Martin and hopefully now with Kevin. From a football point of view, it shows Kevin still views this as a good place to play football and he has made remarkable progress.
“I still think he has the potential to have a top career. But hopefully the season we had last year has helped him believe he is playing at a team competing at the right end of the table and for silverware.
“Another thing that has undoubtedly helped us – and it’s an aspect nobody really talks about – is he’s enjoying it.
“He is deserving of a new contract. The discussions have all been positive to date but nothing has yet been concluded. Hopefully that will be the case soon.”
The Nisbet talks may take a back seat until next week as Ross focuses on adding to his squad amid frustration at having not bulked up his defence sooner.
But he added: “I would be really, really surprised and disappointed if we didn’t add to the squad. We’ve worked pretty hard but I want to make sure we bring in ones who can improve us.
“We had the opportunity to sign someone but didn’t want to do it just for the sake of doing it.
“We do still need to add a couple and if we do that, it will enable us to move some out the way who need to go and play.
“But we haven’t been able to do that as yet because of where we are numbers wise with losing some players.
“It’s not always easy. The identification is one thing and the recruitment is another.
“It’s not because you’re not getting support from the club to do it – you need the other club, the players and all these things to fall into place as well.
“But I’m pretty confident of us doing that between now and the window closing.”