Arsenal keeper Macey set to join Hibs after Barnes’ return to QPR
HIBERNI A N w i l l complete the signing of Arsenal goalkeeper Matt Macey within the next 24 hours. Macey, 26, has agreed to depart the Emirates by mutual consent in search of first- team football following more than seven years with the London giants.
He will immediately pen a contract with Hibs until the end of the season to compete with Ofir Marciano for the number one spot at Easter Road, with previous back- up Dillon Barnes having recently returned to QPR.
Macey underwent his medical at the Hibernian Training Centre in East Lothian yesterday and, barring any unforeseen hitches with the formalities, his arrival will be confirmed today.
The 6ft 6ins stopper will go straight into Jack Ross’ Hibs squad for Monday evening’s encounter against Celtic and, should Marciano fail to recover from the calf injury that has side lined him for their last three games, will make his debut.
Macey joined Arsenal from Bristol Rovers for £ 125,000 in 2013 but made just two senior appearances for the club, against Red Star Belgrade and Norwich in 2017.
He was, however, a regular during loan stints with Accrington Stanley, Luton and Plymouth.
Hibs have also recalled Kevin Dabrowski from his loan with Dumbarton.
The Polish youngster had been a stand- out for the League One outfit this term, making 12 appearances and earning rave reviews for his displays.
Hibs were initially keen for Dabrowski to see out the season at the Rock but have prioritised additional cover for the senior side after being forced to name goalkeeping coach Craig Samson on the bench in their last three games.
Paddy Martin, another fine prospect between the sticks, will remain on loan at Stenhousemuir.
Meanwhile, Hibs sporting director Graeme Mathie has hailed Ross for displaying “clarity” when outlining his January targets.
The Easter Road outfit hope to seal a deal for Chris Cadden and remain interested in Motherwell midfielder Allan Campbell, and Mathie feels calm and collected about the business that needs to be done.
Mathie said: “Working with Jack on recruitment has been good because he’s very clear about the type of players he wants, the type of profile he’s looking for.
“He never gets rushed into making decisions that he might later regret. That clarity’s great for me in this role and I think really good for the club.
“We’re certainly pretty clear on what we’re focused on and hopefully we can get one or two
of these in pretty early in the window. They would be players who would certainly be pushing to be in the starting team, I think that’s pretty important. That’s what we’re hoping for.”
But Mathie, speaking to Hibs TV’s The Match, has told fans not to expect an influx of talent.
He added: “We’re not planning on it being [ busy] at this moment in time, and I think it’s important to reflect on the fact we did do a bit of work in the summer – a number of ins and a number of outs.
“The majority of the squad at the minute have got contracts for a period of time, so I don’t think we’re looking at the same numbers.”