Hibs chief admits key players could have opportunity to move

HIBERNIAN owner Ron Gordon admits one of Jack Ross’ key players could be sold this summer.

Birmingham reportedly had several bids for highlyrated striker Kevin Nesbit turned down in January and defender Ryan Porteous was the subject of interest from Millwall, while this week 18-yearold defender Josh Doig was reported to be on the radar of Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester.

Speaking on a Zoom call ahead of the club’s AGM, Gordon was asked if he expected at least one of Nesbit or Porteous to leave the Leith club in the summer.

He said: “That could be a possibility to be honest. It wouldn’t surprise me.

“We are thinking about those possibilities and planning accordingly.

“I don’t anticipate more than one, perhaps at the outside two, but I think one could have the opportunity to move this summer.”

On the January interest in Nisbet and Porteous, Gordon added: “It was a question of timing and valuation and where the club was.

“We need to make these decisions, they are not easy, both want to grow and compete at the highest level and they will have opportunities, I am 100% sure of that.

“We are trying to find the right balance between being competitive and if the right opportunity presents itself to move some of our players on to a higher level of football.

“But the timing has to be right and it has to be the right move.

“But I wouldn’t consider us just as a selling club, we have a mission to be as competitive as we can possibly be.”

Gordon said Hibs are “in the final stages” of their search for a new chief executive after Leeann Dempster left to join Queen’s Park in January.

Hibs owner Ron Gordon.